Aubretia
by Vaunn Shallal
Summary: A story about a young knight who, due to a change in landing strategy, was set on a different path. It follows his adventures at Beacon Academy, where he learns the value of confidence and finds friends therein.
1. A Book's Cover

**A/N:** First Story, reviews are always appreciated ^_^. The story will start from the very beginning, and focus on the two main character's perspective. It's also written such that you wouldn't need to have watched RWBY to understand things.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own RWBY. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

A young swordsman groaned as the transport plane shuddered and lurched against the turbulence, his blond hair matted down with sweat, his chest heaving against his breastplate. He found himself cursing how hot his thick black sweater and jeans felt. His stomach shooting shutters of nausea throughout his body in reaction to every move. His head pounded as a result, thoughts filled with insecurity over his affliction filled his mind. He tried to pay attention to anything else, noticing some of the other students congregating at the windows to see the view, unable to move he took the time to study some of their faces, hoping that one of these people might become his friend. "Confidence" was the command given to him by his family, knowing deep down that the people around him were far better equipped for the trials ahead. The best he could do was focus on being positive in his outlook. In spite of this, his motion-sickness was contributing to his inability to see himself succeeding when they arrived.

The plane in question banked slightly, making its final descent. Coming up on the dock to Beacon Academy, the swordsman recalled how he came to be on this flying, vomit-inducing deathtrap. His family had been so happy for him, looking upon him with pride at his accomplishment. He'd applied to go to the Beacon Academy, a school which brought together all the talented youth in the country to be able to hone their latent skills for battling Grimm, a term used for for dark creatures that are a constant threat to world's safety. Those talents were not something that he truly possessed at the level of the others arriving with him. Despite this he was still able to be admitted. He looked the part just fine, standing a respectable 6'1" with an athletic build, however, his actual combat skills were nowhere near up to par. He remembered the shady website where he'd purchased his transcripts. Directed there by some of the people he knew from his old school, none of them believed he'd have the gall to truly commit to forging them. He remembered the apprehension and disgust that built up in his stomach when he looked at the paperwork, his name "Jaune Arc" etched above another person's accomplishments. Recalling the feeling combined with his currently unstable insides nearly threw him over the edge.

The transport came to a halt, setting down at the platform outside of the Academy. The doors opened shortly afterward, Jaune pushed past his peers, rushing to the nearest trashcan. Unable to hold back his nausea any longer, his stomach rolled and expelled what was left of his stomach contents into the bin, burning his throat. He tried to shake off the feeling of the other students watching his shameful display as they passed. Some snickering to themselves calling him names like 'Vomit Boy', a few girls passed with some concern for his health, yet no one seemed to feel enough for him to stop. His stomach, having finally cleared itself of any remaining offenses, allowed him to calm down, making his way to the nearest bathroom to clean himself up. Trying to shake off his apprehension, he just kept reminding himself that confidence is key.

Walking out toward the cliff-side entrance gate to Beacon, Jaune heard a concussive crack followed by what sounded like icicles rattling together. Increasing his pace, he could make out some yelling. Three girls were arguing in the middle of a scorch mark that had been made on the stone pathway. Giving the situation a closer look as he approached, he was able to get a better look at each of them. The first was in a white outfit almost in line with her pale complexion, a thigh length dress that flared outward around her waist, with a long sleeve jacket that became a pale shade of blue as his eye progressed downward. She stood around 5'5" supplemented by her wedged white boots, which came midway up her calves. Along the bottom of her dress and the wrists of her jacket was some white detailing that resembled snowflakes. A white ribbon-like belt wrapped around her waist, a small piece of black lace accenting the neckline. The insides of her jacket and boots seemed to be a contrasting red color. His eyes finally stopped on her long pale white hair, shimmering in the sunlight, tied into a ponytail on the right side of her head. Her ponytail betrayed a certain sense of independence, breaking the symmetry that had been present in the rest of her outfit. She sported a menacing look, directed at one of the other girls.

The girl that seemed to be center of the crater, stood a bit shorter than the previous, also pale but not quite as much so as the girl in white. Wearing a mostly black, thigh-length dress with long sleeves and a corset across her midsection with red strings. More red detailing in the frills of her skirt and along the inside of her sleeves. She wore black tights, and large black combat boots, with red detailing as well. Around her shoulders she sported a long solid red cloak, complimenting her two toned hair which seemed to taper into a red hue toward the end of its short length from its black roots. She seemed happy that attention had shifted from her, her attention jumping between the other two girls, who were now regarding each other with detest.

The last of the girls stood the tallest of the three, standing at maybe 5'7". She had a thin black scarf around her neck. Sporting a white undershirt, a bit more color to her than the other two, but still rather fair, she had a black sleeveless coat that buttoned up at her midsection and seemed to flare into a short tail. Wearing a matching pair of white shorts that ended connected to smooth black leggings that seemed to reflect the sunlight somewhat and change to a more purple color gradually as they progressed down her legs. She wore simple black shoes, with a slight heel to them. She had long black hair, a black ribbon adorning her head that seemed to move independently. She looked upon the girl in white with an animosity that seemed strange for people who should have only recently met, given the time frame since arriving.

The girl in white stormed off as Jaune approached, hearing the hooded girl yell, "I promise, I'll make this up to you!" mumbling something to herself shortly afterward. She appeared to turn to where the third girl was, only to find her also walking away. Seeming to slink into loneliness, she collapsed to her knees then laid out on the ground. "Confidence". The word rang through his head once again as he approached. He introduced himself with a hand to help her up, "Hey, I'm Jaune"

She responded shortly with, "Ruby", reaching for his hand. He lifted her up easily noting her slight frame. As she reached her feet, her hand covered a snicker, "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?" Her eyes filled with a sudden mirth at his past woes.

He sighed audibly, _a great first impression_ , he thought. "Yes that was me," he gestured to begin walking toward the school proper. They made their way toward the school, him brooding to himself over his poor starting position in his popularity at the school. "The first day and I already have a poor reputation, people calling me stuff like 'Vomit Boy'." he finished with a quiet groan.

They approached a large open space, with a fountain in the middle. A simple stone walkway wrapped around it, lined on either side with evenly spaced circular lights. Opposite the fountain was a clean cut grassy yard. They made their way around the fountain aimlessly walking the grounds, knowing little about where they were headed.

"All I'm saying is that motion-sickness is a much more common problem than people let on," trying to convince her that it was something he could brush off without it hurting his already flimsy pride.

She responded apologetically with, "Look, I'm sorry," gesturing toward him with her hands to direct his attention, "'Vomit Boy' was the first thing that came to mind." Feeling sorry for causing his discomfort.

"Oh yeah, what if I called you 'Crater-face'," responding in kind, still feeling stung by her choice in nickname. Regarding her with squinted eyes, that feigned real anger which wasn't truly present in this situation.

Throwing her hands down in exasperation, "Hey, that explosion was an accident." She stated, defending her own fragile social stature in their new school. Already feeling that she was making an enemy on her first day, the girl from earlier would come back to haunt her.

Choosing to change the subject, "Well, the name's Jaune Arc," gesturing with his hands in a smoothing motion, trying to portray that confidence he so wanted, "Short sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."

Ruby sensing his attempt to boost his own self-esteem questioned him, given his previously bumbling attitude, "Do they?" Giving him a raised eyebrow to convey her disbelief.

Noting that his ruse had failed, Jaune back-pedaled, "They will," his confidence wavering, "I mean, I hope they will." Thinking back to the advice his family had pushed on him he began, "I mean my mom always says-" cutting himself off, trying not to sound like a child in front of the clearly younger girl, "nevermind."

An awkward silence settled in for a moment, Ruby wanting to break it before it became too much to bear resolved to bring up a topic. The easiest she could come up with in light of her earlier admiration for her peers weapons, which had been cut short by her sister, who had left her in the situation from earlier, was to talk about her baby 'Crescent Rose'. She motioned to pull it from its holster in the back of her belt, and flicked its deploying mechanism, the blade unfolding as she swung the weapon out and into the ground. Stating simply, "So, I got this thing." The ground giving way as the tip of her scythe impacted the stone tiles.

The sudden move surprised Jaune, reminding him that she was another student at Beacon, selected to be a Huntress. As a Huntress, she must have some sort of reason to be there, but the massive scythe that stood before him seemed disproportionate beside such a tiny girl. Gesturing with his hands cautiously, "Is that a scythe?"

Feeling a sense of pride in her beloved weapon, mistaking his surprise as amazement she pulled Crescent Rose up to her body, cradling it lovingly, "It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle."

"A what?" Jaune asked, still stunned by the ease with which Ruby could move such a clearly unbalanced and heavy piece of machinery.

Intending to get her point across, she pulled on the bolt of the sniper rifle, which was currently unloaded. The noise sufficient for her purposes, she stated curtly, "It's also a gun." Happy when he seemed to understand, the information seeming to sink in from the change in the look of his dark blue eyes. Jaune noted the gun barrel running along the polearm section of the scythe, several joints and folding sections controlling the mechanisms of the weapon.

"That's cool," Jaune stated, having sorted his thoughts. Able to comprehend the situation he was in, that she must some reason to be here.

Ruby's interest jumped realizing she had yet to see Jaune's weapon of choice, "So, what do you got?" Grammar slipping away from her, and her voice intonating as she searched for more information about one of her favourite topics.

Jaune for his part had almost forgotten he even had a weapon. He'd been given it by his father before he left, 'Crocea Mors', a sword with a matching shield that bore his family's crest. Compared to the masterpiece that Ruby had whipped out, he felt inadequate by comparison. Unable to hide from this particular line of questioning however, as they were in a combat school, their weapons were going to be a big part of their lives. "I've got this sword," he stated, choosing not to try to provide further information. Ruby gave a girly, "oooh", seeming to admire his weapon like a new collectible. Feeling even more like he didn't belong, he tried to shift attention to his shield, which at least featured moving parts. "Yeah, I got a shield too" placing it on his arm and deploying the mechanism that unfolded it into a modestly sized heater shield.

Ruby, unable to stop herself reached forward to touch his shield asking, "So, what do they do?" Inadvertently reversing the folding mechanism, causing the shield to jump off of Jaune's arm and into a narrow form meant to be a sheath for the blade. He grabbed at it unsuccessfully, it folding and unfolding with a force causing it to jump in and out of his arms. Eventually falling to the ground where he would pick it up. Ruby watching the situation play out, waiting for a response to her question.

Jaune finally having got a handle on his shield, took a breath and answered with all he could offer. "The shield gets smaller," chuckling to himself about how dumb he felt, "so, when I get tired of carrying it, I can just put it away". Feeling a bit ridiculous about trying to amp up his meager equipment.

Ruby thinking technically, not noticing Jaune's attempts to boost himself, responded "Wouldn't it weigh the same?"

Jaune's shoulders slumped, his poor attempt at grandeur cut down so easily, "Yeah, it does".

Ruby looking back to Crescent Rose, realized that she might have hurt his feelings. Laughing to herself to try to shake the awkwardness tried to offer some information about herself. "I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons." Feeling that maybe by leveling with him about her own poor sociability she'd be able to cheer him up. "I guess I did go a little overboard in designing it."

"Wait, you made that?" Baffled that someone her age could not only wield a weapon like that, but also go so far as to design it. He regarded her with admiration in his eyes, looking back noting her light silver irises.

"Of course," wondering for a moment how he wasn't aware, "All students at Signal forge their own weapons." Turning to him for further information, "didn't you make yours?"

Feeling insecure about his own simple Crocea Mors, "It's a hand-me-down," his shoulders slumped further, feeling like his meager choice in weapons would put off a gun nut like Ruby. "My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war." Holding such a simple weapon, with such a history doubly affecting his self-confidence. Not only was it not a match for the more complicated weapons of his peers, but it also carried a history of success and heroics he felt he couldn't match up to.

Noting Jaune sinking into his own self-deprecation she tried to cheer up him, "Sounds more like a family heirloom to me," noting that this didn't get his attention, she followed with, "Well, I like it." Jaune's head lifting to look back at her. "Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days." The statement not being entirely untrue, she did feel that his sword and shield seemed to be in good shape for having such a history, they must have been made to last if they'd gotten this far.

Jaune repeated to himself, "Yeah, the classics." Feeling a bit happier now that someone had taken the time to cheer him up. He smiled at Ruby, happy he'd been able to talk to someone like her just after arriving.

They both sheathed their weapons, Ruby sensing a change in subject imminent interjected, "So, why'd you help me out back there in the courtyard?" Interested in why he'd choose to pick her up off the ground. While his sword and shield did give off a knight motif, his lack of refinement seemed to imply he wouldn't be able to initiate in the way he did.

"Eh, why not?" Explaining his outlook on meeting new people. Jaune, never being one to leave someone in need of help down, felt somewhat surprised it'd even be a question of whether he'd help her or not. Deciding to explain further, "My mom always says, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet." Feeling a bit more comfortable with Ruby, able to reference his family. Moving into step beside her.

It took only a moment of them walking beside one another to realize that they were not being led by the other. Having made a half-circle around the fountain, it became painfully obvious that neither had an objective in mind for where to go.

Ruby breaking into another new topic, "Hey, where are we going?" Believing Jaune to be able to provide some insight into their direction.

"I don't know, I was following you." Jaune said pleasantly, only realizing how ridiculous he sounded after the words left his mouth. Choosing to try to fix the situation, "you think there might be a directory?"

With no response forthcoming he continued, "maybe a food court?"

Ruby giggled a bit at this, "some sort of recognizable landmark?"

Ruby snorted at the escalation of absurdity. "Is that a no?" Finally responding Ruby followed with "That's a no."


	2. Moonlit Assembly

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RWBY. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Finally finding their way to the auditorium, both Jaune and Ruby took in the large circular room filled with eager students. The room had a vaulted ceiling and was mostly bereft of any seats or other implements. A simple microphone stood on the stage on the far side.

"Ruby, over here! I saved you a spot!"

Jaune looked to the source of the yelling, a taller blonde girl, looking to be of standard fair complexion. She was wearing a small orange scarf with a tan vest that puffed out at the shoulders ending before her elbows, featuring a gold trim. Underneath she wore a low-cut yellow shirt, displaying her ample chest. Averting his eyes lower, she had a brown belt with what seemed to be a white half skirt in the back. Underneath the belt she was wearing black shorts. She had on uneven knee high yellow socks, with a white bandanna around her left calf. She was wearing calf length brown boots. Her hair was extremely long a deeper blonde at her roots becoming lighter along it's length. She also had on black fingerless gloves with two gold mechanical bangles around her wrists.

"Oh, hey I gotta go. See you after the ceremony" Ruby turned her attention to him, leaning into him slightly to ensure he could hear her over the crowd. She smells like roses, he made a note to himself as she left him. Resigning himself to disappearing into the crowd, he made a subconscious effort to stay within earshot of Ruby. Taking notice to her speaking animatedly with her hands to the blonde. Seeing the girl in white from before approaching the pair, he got a bit closer in an effort to see how the scene would play out. The three seemed to begin a mild argument, with Ruby turning to the taller blonde for support. Still unable to hear clearly her, he weaved a bit closer through the crowd, taking a significant interest in the trio at this point. Seeing Ruby hold her hand out to the girl, seeming to be a peace offering.

"Yeah, and we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys, like tall blond and scraggly over there" Gesturing toward him. Unsure of how she noticed him, given she was facing the other direction. His confidence piqued along with his interest, given that she must of spotted him out earlier.

"Wow, really?" was Ruby's response, seeming to be quite interested in the listed activities that the girl had offered. Resulting in a moment of silence, Jaune even felt himself tune out the crowd as a results.

"...No." was the only response the girl gave, clearly being sarcastic in her earlier comment. This didn't deter Jaune however, feeling a beautiful girl such as this had taken the time to specifically note his presence, he couldn't miss the opportunity. Going in with confidence he stepped forward, halted by the ring of the microphone being turned on.

A tall man cleared his throat on stage before beginning his speech "I will keep this brief, you have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you are finished; you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." With that he stepped away from the microphone, replaced with a blonde woman in glasses, presumably a teacher.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight, tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

Both adults had left cryptic statements of the future ahead of them, and nothing in the way of positive guidance. Seeming to place the onus on them, as students, to seek out that guidance. Jaune waivered for a moment on that thought, and took note to mull it over more later.

Ruby and the blonde commented on this quietly to themselves. Jaune pressed forward stepping up beside the white haired girl, "I'm a natural blond you know?" was the first thing that came to mind as a means to start the conversation. He'd hoped jumping into the trio knowing at least one would assist him in his efforts. The girl in white lowered her head, bringing one of her hands up to her face in a sign of resignation.

"Just who are you?" The girl responded, seeming to have become more frustrated by his appearance than anything.

Jaune faltering slightly chose to stick to it, "I'm Jaune Arc, I couldn't help but notice your fond comments about me." Trying to act a suave as he could. "So, who might you be, Snow Angel?" Choosing to dive right in.

"Why can I never get any recognition around here" The girl asked in a huff of anger, not really to anyone in particular.

Ruby chose this moment to join in, hoping an introduction would act as a means to curb Weiss' anger with her, "This is Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." Ruby ended with a smile to Jaune, before looking back to Weiss to see her reaction.

Weiss for her part for fuming about the lack of respect she had received from her peers to this point. She'd chosen to come to Beacon, as it was regarded as the best of the best. Traveling all the way from her home in Atlas, she'd had her Dust spilled all over the ground by a little girl, who then ignited it and nearly blew her up. Then she was insulted in public by another girl, only now to be hit on by some random dunce who didn't even know who she was. She'd expected much better from this day.

Sensing no response imminent from the young heiress, the blonde chose to speak up, "and I'm Yang," sporting a million watt grin. Enjoying the situation regardless of the moods around her, she was meeting new and interesting people which was part of what she wanted from being there.

"A pleasure," Jaune smiled back trying to match her mood, in hopes of bettering his mark's mood. It had little effect however. She seemed to be completely ignoring all three of them. Lost in a fit of anger.

Yang turning to her sister expecting her to introduce herself was surprised when she struck up a conversation with the tall blond.

"So Jaune, how did you feel about Headmaster Ozpin's speech?" Ruby felt he seemed different from when she'd met him earlier, offering to accept her early into the school. He seemed oddly aloof this time, almost like he was seeing some worrisome future the rest of us didn't know about.

Jaune had some further thoughts on the speech, but felt it best to remain neutral at this point. Figuring staying positive would help with making new friends. "Don't know, seemed to me that he just wanted to give us a bit of a kick to start the year."

"So, little sis, how do you know Jaune here?" Yang giving her sister a bit of a nudge. She noticed them enter together, but didn't think much of it until now, her sister being willing to initiate the conversation with him was a good sign.

Ruby not noticing the implication of Yang's question, chose to continue her conversation with Jaune. "So, this is my big sister Yang," gesturing to the busty blonde.

Jaune gave her a quick once over, sporting a goofy grin. Enjoying the view a bit too much he pushed himself to try to be more focus. "Hello Yang, I'm Jaune Arc"

"Please to meet ya, Lady Killer," finding the name seemed to be enjoyable, given Jaune's antics with Weiss. She gave a half wave of her hand. Happy that he seemed nice, she'd been a bit worried about her sister's success with new people.

Jaune scoffed at this, blushing slightly at the moniker. He'd been trying really hard to get his confidence across. Noting that Weiss had departed, likely going to get her things together. He watched after her, unsure if he should follow her, or stick with the other two. Resigning himself to trying to speak with Weiss another time.

The three students made idle chat for a time, talking about the school grounds and Jaune confirming that he was indeed 'Vomit Boy'. The three eventually separated, each gathering their things together for their communal bed-time in the auditorium. Jaune scrounged through his own bag looking for sleepwear and his journal. The journal was simple enough, a brown notebook in which Jaune had resolved to keep his thoughts from the day. His sleeping clothes on the other hand were not quite so simple, having seven sisters had been a blessing and curse throughout his 17 years to this point, and their choice in packing him a blue onesie with a white collar and buttons down the front. Sighing to himself, and looking around at the other male students finding them all shirtless, flexing in competition with one another. Jaune found himself feeling rather insecure, almost happy with the all covering onesie, not that he had much choice given his lack of anything else at this point.

Jaune took the time to change; making his way back over to his stuff. The day had been pretty full, especially with the long flight in, he was looking forward to getting some much needed sleep. Walking confidently through the room he caught eyes with Yang laying beside Ruby, he gave her a confident grin but she averted her eye. Upon a quick look around he realized that she'd been ogling the other boys, feeling slightly deflated he continued to his bedroll. Having set himself up with the other guys, he heard a commotion from the other side of the room.

The hunter-in-training made his way toward the rowdiness to find the three girls he'd met that day arguing among themselves. He took this time to admire the four beauties, while he tried his best to be a gentleman their sleepwear made it hard not to give them a once over. His eyes drifted to Weiss first; a common theme so far for him. She was standing with her fist clenched, and a fire in her eyes, glaring at the other three. She wore a pale blue short-sleeved night-gown that ended before her knees. It features some white detailing in some frills along with wide collar, with similar detailing around the bottom. What Jaune noticed most prominently was her long snow white hair was down this time; for obvious reasons, however he took some time to enjoy the candle-light shimmering against her hair as she shook with anger.

Deciding he'd stared long enough; his gaze drifted to the unnamed girl from the 'crater incident', she was sitting with her shoulders against the wall. The position leaning her neck forward, likely to read the book in her hand. Her ebony hair pressed against the wall, seeming to cascade outward. Her bow still adorning to top of her head. She seemed to be wearing a black yukata, with some white trim along with the collar and bottom. The yukata ended at about mid-thigh. Around her waist was a black cloth, with what looked like a white string running through the middle to be tied in the front.

Looking over at the two sisters, their hair being similar to earlier, Ruby with a black eye-cover on her head. Both girls wore tank tops, Ruby in black, and Yang in orange. Each sporting an insignia on the front. Ruby was wearing white sweatpants with a pink polka-dot pattern, while Yang was wearing some simple, brown boy shorts. Jaune found his eyes lingering a bit too long on the girls without him announcing his presence, but before he could step closer to them, the reading girl grabbed the nearby candles and blew them out in an attempt to silence the growing argument. Jaune having become temporarily blind groped about in the darkness for a wall or some sort of landmark.

The girls, having been silenced, seemed to part ways. Ruby and Yang returned to bed, with the unnamed girl departing as well. Weiss gave a huff, at least they had quieted down like she wanted, and made to return in the direction of her own sleeping arrangements. As she turned her head connected with something hard, she staggered backward with a squeak from the impact. The object she hit giving a grunt, "Are you okay?" came a somewhat familiar voice. Weiss squinted slightly in the darkness, able to make out the shape of a boy, about a foot taller than her in a blue onesie. "I'm fine, watch where you're going next time" she responded curtly. Recognizing the boy a bit better as the one who tried to hit on her after the assembly.

Jaune looking down at the now more visible heiress, noted the closeness he had to him, having only retreated a few inches after colliding with his chest. He took this moment to note her pale eyes as they looked back at him menacingly. He couldn't help but smile at her angry face, her mouth formed a small line and her eyebrows scrunched together slightly giving him a glare. In spite of that her eyes reflected the moonlight beautifully, the blue hue to the light tinting her pale features and hair in a light blue. Being this close he committed another smell to memory, it was a flowery smell, sweet, but not overly so. His smile however had the opposite effect on Weiss, making him seem like he'd been intending to collide with her. She gave a huff and made to leave, prompting Jaune to patch together a response. "Sorry, the candle going out made it hard to see. I didn't mean to bump into you."

"Well, don't let it happen again," she gave him a sidelong glare this time. Her face seeming to only ever return to a neutral expression.

Jaune feeling she'd begin to leave again in a moment attempted to keep the conversation going, he needed to do his best to get to know people as best as he could. "So, what were you guys talking about?" Choosing not to reference it as an argument, hoping that would aim her toward a happier mode. He gave her another smile as well, reaching up to scratch the back of his head.

Weiss took a moment to look at him, her own eyesight getting better. She wouldn't say he was unattractive, if a bit juvenile. At the very least he was tall enough, and had apologized for his unintentional blunder. Despite this, she was tired from the long day herself and was not in the mood for a funny guy at this point. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with." With that she turned and walked away, not giving him time to follow up.

Jaune nodded to himself, thinking it a positive sign that she acknowledge him at all. The commotion having ceased, Jaune made his way back over to his own bed. Taking this time to open his journal and mull over his thoughts on the day. Most of the day had been fairly interesting, and he felt good about the people he'd met, thinking they were a bit quirky but would be fun to know in time. Despite the rest of the day, he took some time to think over Ozpin's words more thoroughly. His words seemed to give off the impression that he thought of his hunter and huntress hopefuls were not already taking the initiative by coming to the school at all. While he understood there would be many trials ahead, committing to attempting them seemed like a good first step to him. However, Ozpin being a headmaster seemed to have knowledge of more than what he or the other students could be aware of. Maybe there was more to it than simply wanting to fight monsters and be a hero. Jaune reflected on his own family history, despite their storied past he came from a relatively meager social standing. Jaune always thought that by becoming famous and a hero he'd be able to live up to those stories, but that speech made him question his already shaky resolve.

Jaune reminded himself of the actions that led to him getting into the school at all, and by extension just how difficult the coming trials would be for him. However, if this were one of the steps in the hundred he'd need to take to accomplish his dreams, he'd have to do so. Taking a deep breath, to try to calm his nerves, he put away his journal and prepared to sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day, with their initiation imminent, this would the time to see if he could actually pull this off.


	3. Unfamiliar Ceilings

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RWBY. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Jaune awoke that day to an unfamiliar ceiling; taking a moment to recall all the happenings of the day prior. He smiled feeling that it had gone pretty well, at least being able to get to know a few people here and there, in spite of his uncomfortable memory of the flight in. Realizing the others around him had begun to pack up their things in preparation for their initiation, he pushed himself up out of bed, gathering together his combat gear and packing up his bedroll.

Making his way to the locker rooms, Jaune spotted some familiar faces, along with some new ones. A young man in a green tail-coat with a black collar and gold trim. The collar extended outward at a diagonal down his right side. He seemed to have forearm guards with his sleeves ending just after the elbow with a pink cuff. He wore white slacks and simple black shoes. He had black hair that was in a ponytail and a magenta streak through his hair on the left side of his head. He stood about 5'9".

Accosting him was a short girl, standing about 5'1" with shoulder length orange hair. She wore a black vest with a high collar and a white sleeveless undershirt that had a heart-shape opening in the chest area. Under her vest, around her waist seemed to be a blue and red ribbon tied in a bow on her lower back showing solely blue. She also had detached white sleeves covering from her bicep to the middle of her forearm, also sporting pink fingerless glove. She was wearing a pink skirt that came down to mid-thigh, and some tall white boots with the tops folded over showing a pink inside and pink laces.

The girl seemed bubbly and a bit sporadic, while the boy seemed to be calmly listening to her. Either she was harassing him, or they'd known each-other for a long time. "Nora", Jaune deduced this was the girls name, as the boy used it to address her. "Yes, Ren?" The boy was named Ren, Jaune had now committed them to memory, two more faces with names he smiled to himself. They both made their way out of the room, having gotten their things together. Jaune continued on into the room, in search of his locker. Finding it shortly afterward, it was simple enough as far as he could tell; he set up his own pin code and dropped off his bag inside, giving himself a final check, fastening Crocea Mors a bit tighter to his waist, he made his way toward the exit.

Jaune stopped as he approached the far side of the locker room, spotting Weiss talking with a taller red-head adorned in gold. She stood about 6' tall her hair in a ponytail coming down just past her lower back, wearing a gold circlet and collar, which appeared more as a neck guard. She wore a dark goldenrod colored body armor shaped not unlike a strapless top, it seemed to be made of a hard leather, with a golden plate underneath. She had chestnut colored gloves that came up past her elbow and a hold armband and forearm plate. She had a matching chestnut short skirt with a large piece of cloth in a red that matches her hair wrapped around her waist; with part of it extending down her right leg to her ankle, it was fastened with a brown belt. She also wore golden greaves that came up to her thighs, and brown boots with a gold trim. She had a gentle smile on her face, despite her armored appearance. They seemed to be getting along well, Jaune felt it might be nice to jump in, potentially catch Weiss on in a better mood than last night.

He kept his eyes on Weiss as he approached, she was wearing the same outfit as yesterday, seeming to be her combat outfit. She turned away from the taller girl, putting on a somewhat malicious look. Jaune couldn't quite place what was going on in her head, but she seemed to be scheming something. Seeing her animatedly moving about was enjoyable however, her skirt bobbed and twisted as she turned around, and her hair seemed to shimmer even in the harsh light of the locker room. He took this moment to approach as it seemed to be a break in their conversation.

Not unlike all the other initiates, he'd heard of the eventual assignment of teams. It had been a big part of his effort to be confident and positive with all the people he met, hoping to cast a wide net early. Not that he specifically intended to get all kinds of girls, but the new student population was decidedly female for the most part. As such he hoped to make a good impression on these two, with the coming trial. "Hey Weiss, how're you on this fine morning?"

Weiss regarded him with a look of anger and disappointment, like a child who's sandcastle had just been kicked over. "You again?" her voice came out venomously.

Jaune weathered the storm as best as he could, trying to brush off her anger. He'd already cut in, he couldn't very well back out now. "Yeah, it's me, Jaune." He said with a smile, scratching the back of his head. "Just wanted to say hello," Jaune laughed somewhat awkwardly, trying to shake the tension of the glare Weiss was giving him.

"Nice to meet you Jaune, I'm Pyrrha." The taller girl intervened, much to Jaune's appreciation. The tension somewhat dispelled as Weiss' focus was split for the moment.

"The pleasure is mine," _Always wanted to use that line_ , Jaune grinned inwardly to himself, being able to pull of a suave move this time. Pyrrha's gentle smile softened her features, as Jaune locked eyes with her emerald pools. Not noticing the moment that had past, Weiss chose this time to clear her throat. Jaune coughed a bit, his attention shaken from the newly met girl, his eyes shifted downward and laterally to Weiss' own beautiful blue crystalline eyes. Jaune felt himself a bit overwhelmed by the situation, but upon his mind finally acknowledging the fire in her eyes, he realized he'd offended her.

Clearing his throat, "So, I heard that we'd be getting teams assigned during this trial. I was wondering if you'd be interested in being on a team with me." Jaune's confidence wavering as his statement went along, but he did his best to put on a brave face.

Weiss made to tell him off in a huff. Who did he think he was, barging into her conversation with Pyrrha. She'd been doing her best to make connections with the strongest candidate of their class; it would be perfect if they could be partnered. However, even with her intellect and Pyrrha's history as an award winning athlete, she wasn't sure if they would be able to stay afloat with an anchor like this Jaune character weighing them down. How dare he push his way in like that, trying to leech off of their potential success. Weiss wouldn't stand for it, she had a reputation to uphold.

Pyrrha took this time to respond to Jaune, "The sounds grand, however I feel the trial itself will likely be a factor in our team assignments. Considering how soon we're assigned, I can imagine it is a random process." She took this time to explain to Jaune, who she could tell wasn't as well versed in some of the known things going on at the school.

Jaune considered what she said, realizing it would be the most likely thing. In a way he felt happier that this might be the case; as it took some of the pressure off of him to establish a team building atmosphere so quickly. Weiss however took Pyrrha's response as an attempt at her gently turning Jaune down, taking this opportunity to put him in his place, "Besides, a champion like Pyrrha here, and someone as well bred as I, wouldn't really want to put ourselves in with an unknown such as yourself."

Pyrrha cringed slightly at Weiss' harshness. She herself didn't really have a preference in the team assignments, while she could recognize Jaune's awkwardness as a potential sign of poor performance, it wasn't something to so quickly jump to conclusions over. Trying to reassure Jaune, "I'm sure it'll work out for each of us, " tilting her head slightly as she smiled at him.

Jaune smiled back for a moment, before sheepishly averting his eyes. This conversation had gotten pretty complicated, much more so than he was prepared for. "I can understand where Weiss is coming from though, thanks Pyrrha, I'm sure it will." Choosing to try to placate both parties. "Anyway, we should get going" He rolled his shoulder forward toward the exit, his arm swinging around lightly gesturing for their exit. Weiss making a light groan of annoyance as she follow the other two out.

The three made their way to the exit, spotting Ruby and Yang as well making their way to the starting platforms. They were both wearing their standard outfits from the day prior. They found themselves on the edge of a steep cliff, overlooking the Emerald Forest, a dense monster-infested woodland. The woods stretched far into the horizon, the tops of the trees lightly swaying in the wind, like waves in the ocean. Jaune shook himself from his admiring gaze to see each of the other entrants stepping onto iron platforms that were lined along the cliff. There he saw Ozpin, and the female professor from earlier.

Having a moment to give them both a better look as he made his way to the platform, he noted that Ozpin was a tall imposing looking man. Standing somewhere around 6'6", wearing a light green scarf, and a black suit with a green undershirt. Along with black shoes and green trousers. He had grey, almost silver, hair that implied he was older than he appeared from his build and stature. His eyes were almost emotionless, seeming aloof of the situation. Behind him was a woman, standing about an inch shorter than Ozpin, her hair a pale blonde tied in a bun with a longer section curling down the right side of her face. She had a black cape, with purple on the underside, and a long-sleeve collared shirt that was open somewhat along her chest. She wore a black business skirt that buttoned up to her diaphragm along with black tights and black boots.

Noting that everyone was in their positions, Ozpin began his explanation, "For years you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." This statement grated on Jaune, shaking him out of the moment and back to the inevitable moment where his meager talent would be tested. Weiss had the opposite reaction, happy to finally be able to show her talent before her peers, she found herself gripping Myrtenaster, her multi-action dust rapier. Her hands digging into the grip as she prepared for the coming trial.

The other professor stepped forward. Weiss acknowledged her as Glynda Goodwitch; something of an idol for her through her childhood. Goodwitch provided further information, "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates, today." A glint of mirth went through her eyes at the surprise in her student's eyes. Glynda didn't specifically take joy in another's pain, but something about these fearful initiates was fun to tease.

Ozpin, not to be outdone in the intimidation of the reeling freshmen added, "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So, it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said; the first person you make eye-contact with, after landing, will be for the next four years." All of the students found themselves shocked at this revelation, fear seeped into Weiss' mind at the thought of being stuck as a partner with one of the less than optimum candidates around her. Her eyes wandered for a moment to the dunce of a boy beside her in Jaune. Jaune for his part was also unsure of this development, while it would make his finding a partner ultimately easier, he felt it could mean he'd be in a situation with someone who couldn't help him get up to speed. Remembering how confident Weiss was in her abilities, his own gaze made it's way over to the platform she was occupying. The two caught each-other looking, locking vision for only a moment. Both of their minds filled with the possibility of being partners, with extremely juxtaposed outcomes in mind. Each of them looked away as Ozpin began again.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way, do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path, or you will die." The young swordsman couldn't bring himself to think of how he'd handle the monsters he'd be meeting in the forest below. The monsters in question, Grimm, were horrifying creatures of differing size and shape. What they all had in common was a taste for humans, and their negativity. Jaune's mind was swimming in it right now, and he could only acknowledge that it would make things worse. This wouldn't be his first encounter with Grimm, living on a farm, they did have to deal with the occasional Beowolf. They were few and far between however, generally being a small singular outcast in need of food. His experience was nothing like what was awaiting him today.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics, each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item as well as your standing, and we will grade you appropriately." _This is it._ The sword arm took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. Trying his best not to simply turn and run. "Are there any questions?" Jaune made to raise his hand, if he could scrounge up a few questions then he could buy himself some more time

"Take your positions." Ozpin proceeded, making a concerted effort to not make eye contact with the boy. Nothing he could ask would provide any more enlightenment on the situation.

With that the platform on the far side, sprang forth and sent a bulky male student skyward. Quickly shrinking into a dot in the clear azure sky. One by one, each of the students were launched, all of them preparing themselves beforehand, except for one. The hero-to-be at the end of the line was confused and unprepared, _I'm gonna die,_ was all he could come up with. Each of the others seemed to have different abilities to help them be successful in their 'landing strategy', while Jaune had pretty much nothing to help even break his fall. "Did you hand out parachutes or something?" The first thing that came to his mind, in hopes this was some kind of mistake.

"No, you will be falling." Ozpin stated rather curtly, an in-perceivable level of satisfaction in his voice. He had to fight the twitch at the corner of his lip, enjoying the floundering of Jaune to some extent.

Weiss took this moment to put Jaune further in his place, the dolt not even being prepared for the first trial they had. "Like my glyphs you idiot, you must have some reason for being here. Use it." In a way Weiss was trying to help him along, regardless of how annoying he might be, having someone die on the initial landing would look bad for a class she was a part of.

Jaune racked his brain for a solution to falling from the sky, not well versed in this type of activity. At best he could break his fall to some extent, not knowing how effective it would be, but resolving for it to be his only solution; unsheathed Crocea Mors and engaged the shield mode. He'd position the shield in front of him in hopes it would absorb some of the impact, he had no way to slow himself down, so this was the best he could do. _This is gonna hurt_.

In that moment Weiss looked toward Jaune to acknowledge his movements, his choice in equipment seemed horribly mundane. However, due to her split focus she was unprepared for the platform she was on engaging. She suddenly found herself careening into the air, drifting slightly off target due to her lack of preparation. Sliding to her right slightly she tried to right herself in her arc, waving Myrtenaster in a circular motion, drawing in the details with her fingertips a shimmering white glyph appeared in her path. She planted her feet on it, and it angled forward and launched her into the air once again, this time more controlled and on her northern target.

The shield baring youth braced himself as his own platform ejected him from the cliff-side, his shield positioned to his front, he tried to angle himself such that his shield would impact anything he might hit first. However, his planning hadn't taken into account the need to see what was in front of him, Weiss' off-center flight left her glyph behind in his path, and as he came into contact with it he decelerated quickly. The sudden change his speed caused his stomach to lurch forward into his throat, he attempted to shake off the dizziness only to recognize that he was now falling at a much steeper angle, albeit slower. He tried to re-position himself but it wasn't in time, his shield clipped a branch while his arm was still unprepared. It was forced back into his shoulder, he could feel a searing pain as it dug in slightly before bouncing back out, unsure of the damage it had caused amid all the other impacts and cracking noises as he collided with different limbs of the trees in his path. The first hit had been the worst, he was glad that it had at least been initially against his shield to slow his descent.

Jaune awoke laying with his back against a large tree, not sure when he'd blacked out. Trying to move he took in the extent to the damage that had been caused, a burning pain shot through his body emanating from his shoulder. While the rest of his arm was numb, almost non-existent, the rest of his body screamed in response sounding off some potentially cracked ribs and severe bruising. His head ached, a heavy pressure was forming on the back of his head, he reached up as best he could with his working arm to acknowledge a wet feeling in his hair. His vision blurred slightly, as he attempted to take in his surroundings. All around him was a deep emerald green, some pillars of umber strewn throughout. There a light padding sound, feet against the forest floor. The young knight turned his head slightly, again drifting out of consciousness as a beam of radiant white overtook the colors before him.


	4. Trading Debt

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RWBY. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Weiss was frustrated by her lack of focus, she'd been distracted by that lunkhead Jaune and it caused her to be off target from her launch. Having corrected her course, she couldn't help but look back at the object of her ire. Spotting the blond impacting her left behind glyph, and careening off his mark into the forest below. Weiss hesitated at this, her pride flared up at the sight of his awkward angle of impact. While he had been the reason for her distraction, her lack of focus had potentially caused him to be hurt. Weiss had a reputation to uphold and couldn't allow herself to be the cause of another student's failure, as a result she'd convinced herself to double back to check on him.

Most students had some way to break their fall, while it wasn't unheard of to not be equipped for flight as a hunter or huntress, most would be able to improvise or use some alternative way to reach the ground safely. From what Weiss could gather, Jaune's best option would have been to use his shield to break his fall, however due to her glyph, he may not have had the ability to properly position it to absorb the impact. Thus she followed the trajectory of his fall to where she'd have expected him to land, descending through the canopy of the trees.

The dust-fencer found him propped up against one of the trees he'd collided with. His shoulder was hanging unnaturally, and the rest of him featured lines of red and spots of sickly greens and purples. His hair was matted down slightly in the back, stained with a twinge of crimson. Weiss was stunned for a moment, as Jaune's head turned to show his knowledge of her presence it dipped losing strength. For all of her boasting, she knew little of what to do when it came to injuries this extensive. She could only marvel at this ability to move at all, most people would have been protected by their aura to some extent against injuries like this.

Jaune let out a light groan, his breathing faint. Weiss could tell he was going to lose consciousness soon, and that would be a bad thing given his current condition. She stepped forward, kneeling down to try to get a better idea of the extent of his injuries. She noted that she didn't feel any aura coming from him at all, almost as if he didn't have one available. In most circumstances, even if the fall had diminished its strength it would still be there. Weiss placed a hand on Jaune's chest, seeing his eyes start to close. She cursed under her breath, while the young man was an annoyance, she would not allow herself to be the cause of his death.

Not thinking further, Weiss reached forward with her hand. Touching his chest lightly, she could still feel no aura at all. Unable to comprehend how someone without an active aura could have made it this far, Weiss hesitated a moment before resolving to activate it. She closed her eyes and focused on drawing out his aura, pushing some of her own into the tips of her fingers. The sensation was unlike anything she'd known, a bright light engulfed them both. She could feel a tingling sensation, almost a numbness push back against her finger. She would describe it almost as a feedback on her own aura, as if she'd opened a floodgate of energy.

Jaune's aura covered both of them, a calming feel a security settled around both of them. The numbness settled as a shallow tingle across her skin. Weiss felt like she should be panicked, but could only feel that she was safe despite the unfamiliar sensation. Her eyes focusing a bit better, she spotted two cerulean orbs just in front of her face. The light began to diminish, Weiss was able to make out Jaune's features more and more. "Are you alright?" was the first thing that came to mind.

There was a moment, he didn't respond. His eyes locked with her own crystalline ones. "I feel great actually." A smile crept into his face, nothing malicious, just an innocent happiness that things were okay. Weiss blushed slightly, only at that moment noticing that she'd leaned in to be only a few inches from his face. Looking away, she was able to access that all of Jaune's injuries were gone, as if nothing had occurred at all. The only traces of his tumble being the tears in his clothing where cuts used to be.

Weiss made to stand for a moment, noting that the feeling of security had dissipated slightly. Looking down at Jaune, who had taken this moment to inspect the changes in his body. His shoulder seemed to be fairing well, and the pressure he'd felt earlier was gone. "Thanks a lot Weiss, I thought that was the end." Not understanding the situation very well, the swordsman could only guess that she'd done something that had allowed him to recover. "I can't thank you enough for saving me"

While the credit for saving him should go to her, she really wasn't sure what had happened. "I simply unlocked your aura. Something that should have been done a long time ago, if you managed to make it into the school. The amount you have seems obscene however." The confusion of the situation only aggravated by Jaune's lack of knowledge about the situation he's in.

"There's a long story behind that," he responded, a sudden realization came to his mind however of the situation they were in. "I'll tell you more about it later, you deserve to know. That said, first person to make eye contact with?"

Weiss hadn't even thought about it, but upon the realization that her worst fears had come together. Her mind raced with the horrible events that would follow this development. _My grade, my social standing, my accomplishemts…_ her worrying was broken when Jaune slowly stood up, getting his feet under him, using the tree to support him.

Trying to stay positive, "Due north, right?" Jaune offered gesturing in that direction, able to get his barrings better now.

Weiss turned away from him, mulling over the merits of knocking him out again and pretending she didn't see him. Deciding against that course of action, given the likely monitoring they were under at this point. She began walking, not really paying attention to where. Jaune noticed her walking, noting her path more to the east than north. He was a bit afraid to question her, so he followed behind in silence. She didn't seem to be in the mood to talk, Jaune wouldn't say he was the most perceptive but he could tell at least that much.

After some time of traversing the forest for a some time, Jaune began to get the feeling they were being watched. Weiss continued to walk some distance in front of him, still flustered by the recent turn of events. The hunter-in-training sprinted for her, trying to close the distance as quickly as he could, something compelled him to make a run for her. Readying his sword and pulling his shield up, he spotted the source of his feeling of dread. A blur of black and gray materialized from the foliage descending on Weiss, moving on instinct Jaune raised his shield to absorb the attack.

Weiss felt a shadow descend on her, turning her head to her left to meet it she knew she'd be too late. She braced for the impact of whatever Grimm had appeared, thinking in that moment that she'd been unprepared for the trial and berating her lack of focus, but the attack never came. A dull thud rang in her ears, and a slight weight appeared on her shoulder. For a moment she thought that her brain had already shut down and she simply couldn't feel the pain, but as her head came around she was face to face with Jaune. He grimaced under the weight of the Beowolf's assault, his body shielding hers as he leaned over her. The swordsman was considerably taller than her, standing this close made that extremely clear and she was thankful at this moment for the shield he bore in her protection. A moment passed as she examined her savior's face, unsure of what to do with this course of action.

The moment was broken when the creature lifted its claw to attack again with it's opposite hand, Jaune tried to maneuver himself around again to catch it. Weiss could tell this attack wouldn't be so well defended, her own presence making it hard for him to move around. She moved contrary to Jaune, giving him space as she dashed forward only slightly while readying Myrtenaster. The extra space allowed Jaune to rotate around and get his feet under him, placing his foot where Weiss had stood, Crocea's shield absorbed the lateral strike of the Beowolf claws. Weiss pivoted on her left foot, propelling herself with her right, driving her rapier into the creatures sternum, it's body open and extended in it's attack on Jaune. It gave a whimper and fell limply to the ground.

Jaune looked down at the defeated creature, it looked strangely human for all of its wolf-like features. It was covered in jet black fur, it had bone like spikes along its knees, elbows and forearms. The ones on it's arms protruding a few inches. Similar spikes ran up its spine, and culminated in a skull like bone structure on it's head. It had large fangs and claw, seeming to favor the claws when attacking them earlier. Even more menacing than the claws were its pure red eyes, their glow had faded with Weiss' attack, but it had begun to shine again in the form of more creatures.

Taking in the eyes piercing through the forest around them, seeming to attack the deep greens that surround them. Jaune prepared his shield, bringing Crocea's sword to bear. "Weiss, can we outrun them?" The pale fencer was shaken from her daze at the sound of her name, Jaune had saved her life, managing to react before she could to the coming attack. She made a note to thank him later, though it was obviously repayment for her saving him prior to this. Coming to grips with the situation around her as well, she readied Myrtenaster.

"No, even if we cut through, they'd catch us on foot." Resolving that the situation wasn't one they could get away from. She was still unsure of his actual combat ability. "Can you actually fight?" The question on both of their minds.

The swordsman gritted his teeth slightly, he really wasn't sure how to answer that question. With them surrounded as they were, he provided the only positive thing he could come up with. "We're about to find out." Trying to give her a look of confidence, but his uncertainty betrayed a slight crack in his voice. He took a deep breath in response, feeling his lungs burn as his heartbeat quickened.

Weiss heard a rustle behind her, doing a pirouette she deflected the creatures strike for her, and on her second rotation slashed at its torso. It connected and the lycanthrope was left with a deep gash causing it to limp away. Jaune was stunned at her grace, taking a moment to admire her skirt fanning out around her just behind her motions, her hair fluttering in tune with the rotation; its white color a canvas for the emerald and brown colors around her.

He was shaken from his moment of admiration by an adversary of his own lunging out of the bushes. Jaune wasn't much for technique, not having any formal training, he reacted on instinct bringing his shield up to cover himself from the attack. The beowolf's abdomen was exposed by its high sweeping attack, Jaune drove his sword into the exposed ribs. His target gave a dog like groan, whimpering as it went limp and fell to the ground. _I can do this_. Jaune gripped his sword tighter, readying for the next attack.

Weiss rotated the chambers of Myrtenaster stopping on the scarlet colored round. Channelling her aura through the length of the blade, her sword began to emit a high pitched hum, glowing red etchings appearing along it's length. She breathed in calming herself, handling the volatile Dust in her weapon required her to focus completely. Setting her feet shoulder length apart, her left foot forward, shoulders back, bringing her blade hand just under her chin so that she was coiled up, ready to dash forward. A larger beowolf shrugged off the bushes around it, standing somewhere around 12' tall, selecting her target, Weiss unleashed her assault. Dashing forward in a blur, her Myrtenaster cut through the space between them with a screech.

 _Fire_. Jaune heard a screaming noise as he shucked off another foe, a violent flash of reds and oranges encroached on his peripheral vision. He struck at the beowolf before him, cutting into its shoulder causing it to fall to the ground, writhing in pain. He turned to spot Weiss with a wall of flame extended outward from her rapier, cutting a path across the forest floor and igniting the huge creature before her. The oranges and reds that had just a moment ago exploded in his view danced across her pale skin and white clad body, tinting her in a radiant warmth of color.

Another attack descended on him to pry his eyes away from the sight of the heiress in action. Barely managing to react in time, placing his shield between his neck and the beowolf's strike. The force of the blow driving him back and forcing him to hunch forward, setting his feet he peaked over the top of his shield to access the next strike. It propelled itself forward, hunched low to the ground and swinging its left claw vertically upwards. Jaune was forced to angle his shield down and forward, tilting it opposite the strike and putting his body into a spin. The claw crashed against the center of Crocea, forcing Jaune's arm back and upwards increasing his spin, bringing his sword arm back overtop of his body. Jaune put all the force of his body and the impact of the beowolf's swing into his sword arm, bringing Mors down and embedding it deep the the creatures collar. He felt its body drop, its weight separating his blade from its body.

Both combatants continued to cut their way through the enemies, Jaune awkwardly blocking and trying his best to find openings. Weiss dancing between strikes, piercing through the defenses of her enemies, dashing from place to place. Her sword humming as it weaved slashes, stabs, and glyphs around the battlefield. The conflict ended as quickly as it had begun, after a few moments the forest floor was stained red and black with Grimm.

Trying his best to calm down, Jaune took a deep breath. Turning to Weiss, she seemed to have had a much easier time, standing calmly as she flicked Myrtenaster clean and holstered it. "That went better than expected," trying to sound cheerful about the positive outcome.

Weiss turned to him, "Well, you're not completely dead weight." For someone who didn't seem to have any formal training at all, he'd done remarkably well with the situation they were in. The lady fencer could only think that he must have gotten into the school on potential and not current talent. Resolving that her situation wasn't quite as best as she'd first thought, she decided to try a bit of civility. His act of saving her life still grating on her, potential or not he still played the fool.

"You were great," Jaune blurted out, unsure of how to approach the situation. His eyes went wide, and a blush set in somewhat. Unsure of how to put it into words. Weiss' face curled slightly, frowning at him, her jaw set. He was hitting on her again, in a situation like this it infuriated her.

"Of course I was, don't forget who I am." Feeling the need remind him again of his place in relation to hers. _One step forward, two steps back_. Jaune watched as she left him alone again, continuing on her not-quite-northward path. He followed afterward, keeping his eyes open for attacks, wanting to avoid how close the last one had been.

After some time Jaune finally worked up the courage to ask, "Weiss, do you know where we're going?" Readying himself for her anger, he was surprised when they arrived at a cave entrance.

"Yes, I know where I'm going," gesturing toward the cave, with a wave of her arm. "This must be it," Weiss did her best to sound self-assured, able to suppress her own apprehension of the situation. She'd simply stumbled upon this cave, though since she was pretty sure this was due north of where she started, she was committed to leading this partnership.

Jaune nodded, trusting her judgment. "It looks pretty dark in there, let me go make a torch." He ducked back into the brush, pulling out his sword, he hacked off a good sized branch from a nearby tree. Opening some of the pockets on his belt, he pulled a wrapping cloth that would've normally been used to dress wounds, pulling out a flask of lighter fluid he soaked the cloth liberally. Wrapping it thoroughly around the end of the branch, and making sure it was fastened tightly.

Weiss watched him fascinated, for a bumbling fool he seemed to know what he was doing. Working quickly with his hands, revealing that he'd come remarkably well prepared to this situation. She looked over the somewhat contented expression that had rested on his face, her eyes glancing over his features slowly. Despite his previous action, he wasn't bad looking by any means, his features were boyish however it was clear to see a strong jawline and his blond hair accenting his deep cerulean eyes. He turned to her, his eyes locking with hers for a moment before she looked away abruptly, not wanting him to notice her previous actions.

He approached her slowly, having finished his work giving it a nod. "All set, you ready Weiss?" Giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Well, you're good for something at least," not wanting to let his head get too big. She gave a wave of her hand lightly, a glyph appearing around the head of the torch. A short burst of flame ignited the torch, readying it for their trek.

"I've got some experience with camping," his father had made sure he kept all the things he'd need for basic first aid, and camping. "Did my best to come prepared."

He began walking toward the cave, deploying his shield in his off-hand, holding the torch aloft to give the best angle for entering the cave. Stopping at the entrance to look back at Weiss. She stood there with her arms crossed, foot tapping slightly, clearly annoyed. It dawned on Jaune that she'd been leading to this point, taking this moment to explain himself. "I figured since I have the shield, it'd be better if I was in front, in an enclosed space like this." Hoping his logic would hold up under her scrutiny.

Weiss wasn't one for being led, she was an heiress of a powerful company, others waited on her. She couldn't question his logic however, he would have an easier time stopping incoming attacks in a cramped space like this cave. Giving a huff, she decided to concede to him this time. Since reaching this cave, he'd been the one leading and it bothered her. While she never would have been expected to carry around supplies in the way he did, she should've been the one to make the deduction that he take point, not him.

Seeing the fencer give a sigh and begin walking toward him he smiled a bit inwardly. While Jaune wasn't the combative type, he did enjoy knowing he'd come out on top this time. Turning back toward the mouth of the cave, he made his way inside, taking note to make sure Weiss wasn't far behind.

The cave itself wasn't particularly damp, thus there was only the sound of their footsteps echoing through it. As they stepped further inside, the darkness seemed to encroach on the light of the torch, with each flicker and flutter of the flame it's light seemed to be losing ground around them.

No longer able to see clearly, Jaune slowed his pace slightly. He felt a pressure on his back, and heard a decidedly female yip as whatever it was pressed into him. Glancing back, he could see Weiss had stepped close into his back as a result of the lack of light. A slight blush settled on his cheeks at her closeness. Despite the pressure of the dark cave around him, he found himself calmed slightly by the sweet scent she gave off.

Weiss hadn't noticed herself closing the distance between the two of them at first. She was not afraid of the dark, she wouldn't let herself be, but she felt anxiety well up in her stomach all the same. Jaune's torch was becoming less and less effective, so, naturally she was forced to get closer to him, like an umbrella she was trying to hide from the rain in. When she eventually came into contact with his back, she made an embarrassing squeak. She couldn't back away,as he'd be able to see her blush, and if she went too far she'd not be able to see. Choosing to duck her head slightly to make sure he wouldn't be able to see her over his shoulder.

Jaune himself bumped into a wall, having looked back to try to check in Weiss, only being able to see the now flame colored hair of her ponytail, courtesy of the torch. Grunting against the impact, he could feel the heiress also press against him more firmly with the impact. Cursing his hormonal response as the nerves on his back took in the feeling of her form pushing against his back. He was cut short in his enjoyment of the feeling, when the wall he'd bumped into began to move and light up. A glowing yellow crescent shaped appeared above their head, not illuminating anything but itself, the pair took a step back slightly. Weiss using this moment to make a gap between the two of them. Suddenly the wall itself shifted, red swirling shapes began to appear glowing, two layers pulling away to reveal 4 pairs of parallel red orbs. It took only a moment for the two students to recognize that this wasn't a wall, but instead a very large Grimm.

Jaune kept himself facing the colossus, "Weiss, I think we should run." As obvious as his statement seemed, it sunk into her mind slower than it should've.

The yellow mass reeled back, before snapping downward. Jaune lifted his shield just in time to catch the blow. In that instant, he heard an audible pop, along with the ear piercing crack of the impact onto Crocea. He was driven back into Weiss, she was able to keep her feet holding him up slightly. He force himself back to his feet, the pop making it's presence clear. Unable to lift his shield arm properly anymore. "Weiss take the torch, I'll be right behind you." Handing it to her, she took the torch in her hand, noticing him lifting his shield arm up by the wrist.

They both started to position themselves further and further toward the entrance, the creature inching forward toward them. "You can't stop another hit," a level of urgency in her voice as she whispered to him. Her voice coming out as almost a hiss, Jaune ignored what he felt was anger.

"Get some distance, I have a plan." _A dumb one_. Not confident in the outcome, he resolved this was his only shot. Once Weiss made a break for it, the creature would attack, his shoulder couldn't absorb another impact like that, but maybe he could use the force to his advantage.

The lady fencer didn't know what to do, she couldn't just leave her recently acquired partner to his death. He'd just started to show promise, and she didn't want to have that weight on her after only the first day. However, she was reminded of the feeling of contentedness and security when she'd looked into his eyes for the first time. Resolving that he hadn't failed yet, she turned and broke into a run. Being careful as she could not to trip, they'd said teachers wouldn't interfere, but this couldn't be within the bounds of this test.

Reaching the mouth of the cave, she emerged into the blinding brightness of the Emerald Forest. Her calves and feet sore and beating due to the hard, uneven ground she'd been dealing with. Quickly unholstering Myrtenaster, she made a quick glyph with the intent of signaling into the air. _An S.O.S._ Jaune couldn't stop that thing for long, just as her right hand came up to draw in the detailing, another ear shattering crack rang out from inside the cave.


	5. Arrangement Arranged

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RWBY. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

 **A/N:** Quick aside about how I handle aura in this story. Aura in my opinion is used to protect against minor attack, usually protecting the vital organs from cuts, bullet, etc. I don't feel it necessarily protects completely from injuries like broken bones and other more severe injuries. Just something I wanted to get out of the way prior to continuing. Enjoy ^_^

Jaune acknowledged Weiss' mad sprint for the entrance very briefly. Keeping his focus trained on the mammoth creature before him. Breathing in slowly to steady his heartbeat, he would only get one chance at this. The yellow form coiled back yet again, Jaune bent his knees in unison coiling himself up in a way. Just as it snapped forth, the shield bearer jumped pushing himself into the air. The impact rocked his whole body, jettisoning him backward. _That worked_. The issue now was the landing, he'd averted the force of the blow for a moment, but it'd return on the end if he wasn't careful.

Weiss' glyph work was interrupted by a blond blur careening out of the cave, going into a roll upon impact with the ground, eventually skidding to a stop on the grassy ground of the clearing. Her eyes opened wide to see the form of Jaune, thinking the worst she broke into a run to his crumpled body. Hearing a groan allowed her to release her breath, "That sucked."

Weiss kneeled down beside him, inspecting him. Aside from his dislocated shoulder, he seemed no worse for wear. "How did you do that?" Baffled at his ability to disengage that monster so smoothly in his condition.

"I jumped, no time to explain," pushing himself up off the ground with his working arm. He brought himself to a kneeling stance as well.

Weiss could hear the skittering of several feet coming from inside the cave, growing louder. "We can't face that thing in our current condition." Her mind drifting to how he'd fare in a battle with only one arm.

Jaune gritted his teeth, trying to come up with a plan. They now had an open space, they could maneuver better now, he expected Weiss would be skilled enough to avoid attacks in an opening like this. He himself would need to draw the creatures attention, and allow her to find weak points. The first and most glaring issue was his shoulder, remembering a similar problem his father had in his own shield arm. Propping his arm into a ninety-degree angle using his shield on his lap. "Weiss, I need you to do something for me." _This was going to be awkward_.

Her eyes widened slightly, unsure of what was coming. Judging from the look on his face however, she knew it wouldn't be enjoyable. "Get on with it." The situation not one where she felt the need to be nice.

"I need you to relocate my shoulder for me." He'd seen his mother do it before, it couldn't be that hard.

"You need me to what?" She'd not ever had any medical training, and felt a nervousness build in her chest. Catching in her throat, she was prepared to fight Grimm and save people, but this situation was much more dire than she'd expected for her first day out.

"All you have to do it lift my elbow and push my shoulder back into the joint with your other hand," turning his head slightly despite the pain it emitted from his collarbone. "We need to take this thing together, and you're the only person who can do this."

Her eyes locked with his, gone was the boyish smile she'd seen before. He was determined that they could do this, but he needed her help. She didn't want to admit it, but she could feel a powerful compulsion to do as he said. _Leadership_. That's what this was, his tone and look made her trust in his judgment. She scooted over to him slightly, positioning herself facing opposite of him.

She placed her left hand on his elbow, taking his hanging shoulder in her right. She could feel the ball of his humerus in her hand, the unnatural feeling of it protruding slightly against his skin made her stomach roll. "Just lift it slightly, and push it back in." His words didn't help the situation, making her feel even worse about what was happening. The creatures approach indicated by the more and more audible skittering. Taking a deep breath, she pulled up on his elbow, lining his shoulder back up. Jaune gritted his teeth, a searing pain cutting through his body as she manipulated his arm. Breathing in sharply through his teeth giving a hissing noise.

"Ok," Weiss said under her breath, mentally preparing herself. She gave an abrupt and forceful push, Jaune whimpered and groaned slightly the pain causing him to writhe in her hands. She could tell it hadn't worked, _I'm going to mess this up_. She couldn't fight the feeling of helplessness creeping into her mind, they'd told her she shouldn't come here but she resolved to do it anyway. Here she was now unable to deal with her partner's first injury.

Jaune noticed her hesitation, despite his own pain he could feel her hands shaking on his arm. "One more, then I'll be good as new," he gave his partner a smile, eye squinting and teeth gritted. She could tell he was in pain, but his words refocused her efforts for the seconds they needed. Weiss put her weight into his shoulder, throwing herself against his side. She winced at the loud and wet pop his shoulder gave as it moved back into the socket. Jaune groaning in pain, throwing his head back violently, the impact of her body against his side pushed him off balance.

The two tumbled to the ground, Jaune rolling onto his back with Weiss ending up draped over his chest. The hand she had on his elbow fell forward across his stomach and became pinned under his shield. Her other hand fell behind his neck, ending up in his hair. The pressure of her laying on his shoulder shot more pain through Jaune's body, but the flush of her cheeks as she lay on top of him distracted him far too much to care about the pain.

The girl in question laid there for a moment, her head on his shoulder and her arms wrapped around him awkwardly. Her hands could feel the muscles in his shoulder react to her touch, despite his lack of skill he certainly had the build. With her face pressed to close to his chest, she could smell the earthy smell of pine coming from his skin, along with a light musk from his earlier exertion. Her eyes grew wide, face flushing further as she became aware of the extent of their contact. She made to pull away, but her arms were pinned and all she ended up doing was pressing herself against him more. "Let go of me!" Her emotions peaked, unable to allow him to see her like this.

Sputtering slightly, Jaune pushed himself to lift his arm and neck. Unable to resist the enjoyment of a beautiful girl pressed against him, however her writhing was causing his shoulder to scream out of pain with each press and release. "Sorry, I didn't expect that to happen," averting his eyes from hers for fear of her wrath. Her own eyes wide, their light blue depths filled with rage. In that moment she'd have killed him, if not for the violent crashing sound of a murderous Grimm bursting out of the mouth of the cave.

The swordsman deciding now to dispense his plan. "Alright Weiss, you're going to need to find an opening, I'll keep his front to me." Moving to his feet, he rolled his shoulder slightly, the pain was severe but it was moving again and that was all he needed. He drew his sword in his right hand, rolling his wrist preparing for a fight.

Weiss nodded, her anger's target shifted. She'd trained for years to be able to do stand against creatures like this, but she knew she didn't stand a chance at stopping it head on. Resolving to use her speed to force an opening if she had to. She'd trust Jaune to handle the defense, still uncertain of how he instilled a feeling of security, but now wasn't the time for self-reflection. She drew Myrtenaster, rotating the barrel to the white Dust chamber, and preparing for the fight.

As if waiting for their leave, the creature let out a offputting clicking noise and lunged forward. Both students dodged to opposite sides of the huge scorpion-like Grimm. Jaune drummed his sword across his shield, making noise to attract the attention of the beast. It turned to face him and he dropped into a defensive stance. With the Grimm finally in the light he could see that it stood about 7 meters tall, with most of that height being in its huge tail which curled forward and featured a large yellow stinger on the end. It's entire body was covered in a thick bone-like carapace. Now facing him, he could also distinguish the huge pincers which would be bearing down on him.

"Alright big guy, don't step on my toes now." Jaune doing his best to make light of the situation, he could feel his hands beginning to shake at the thought of having to stop another one of its strikes.

Creatures of Grimm feed on the negative feelings of humans, seeming to kill for sport, never actually in need of their flesh for sustenance. By extension, when Jaune's resolve began to waiver, the scorpion's sudden attack was something to be expected. It reared it's stinger back once more and snapped it forth intent on tearing through the knight's defenses.

A large shard of ice sliced through the air, impacting the upper section of its tail. The force of the impact knocking it's attack off target, allowing Jaune to tilt his shield in response and glance the blow off to his right. The swordsman only had a moment to allow his brain to acknowledge Weiss' long ranged support in his defense, locking eyes for her for a moment to thank her silently.

Their moment broken by a shrill groan from the monster as it turned to attend to it's more distant foe. Jaune took this moment to hack at one of its legs as it turned, but it had little effect on its thick shell. Turning and running alongside it to position himself between Weiss' and it's attack. _I need to stop it_.

Weiss sized up the attack, preparing to dash away from it's stinger. Eying the aforementioned appendage, she didn't see it rear back. Turning her attention lower she was able to see the creature's colossal pincer swing forth. If she were to backstep, she'd be off balance to avoid the pincer. She wouldn't be able to dashed to the side due to the angle of the attack. Bracing herself for the impact, Jaune used that moment to dash in the way and stop the attack with his shield. His body covered in a pale yellow glow, teeth grit and legs straining. He was holding his shield with both hands and leaning into the pressure of the creatures heavy limb. Weiss was amazed he'd been able to stop it, while a person's aura could heal small wounds and block small projectiles, it wasn't something that would normally stop that much force.

"Get some distance," Jaune managed to grunt out a few words of direction for the fencer. Shaken from her thoughts she dashed away from the creature, getting a few meters away and flanking it with projectiles.

Each of the ice bolts struck the creature with a shuddering impact, the shockwave chilling against Jaune's face. Feeling the Grimm's balance shift against the sudden offensive, he heaved upwards driving the claw backwards with his legs. As soon as the pressure was released Jaune shifted his weight and stepped into a downward swing of Mors at the scorpion's glowing red face. The armored shell caved this time, thinner than along the rest of the body, his sword gliding through the soft flesh underneath.

Jaune dashed backward, as the creature brought its claws together to cover the now exposed blackness. "Weiss, Tail!" Jaune bellowed, bringing his shield to bare. The giant Grimm let out a ear-splitting shriek as it reared back to impale it's smaller attacker.

Weiss reacted immediately to Jaune's order, engaging the dust in Myrtenaster and filling it with her aura. Outlining the glyph on the ground around her with a pirouette. The forest floor chilled and frozen beneath her feet. A sign of her homeland of Atlas; the cold didn't faze her, she drove her rapier into the ground. Before her the ground exploded forth, a wave of ice washed forward toward her target.

The creature's tail flicked forward, Jaune braced for the impact but it never arrived. Dropped his shield to the point where he could see ahead of him, the stinger of the tail was locked a meter from his face. The upper length of the tail was encased in a fixture of ice that had engulfed it. He released the breath he'd been holding, trying to surmise a plan of attack.

His eyes scanned across the creature's body, it's clawed arms still covering it's injured face. The remains of several attacks from Weiss lay strewn about it's side, no substantial penetration against it's armor had occurred. _We need more firepower_. The tail began to writhe, fractures webbing themselves through the ice. "Weiss, keep the pressure on!"

Jaune dropped his shield, shifting his weight to his right, and leaping forward into the air. Putting his whole weight into a downward swing with both of his hands. His sword connected with the joint of the stinger. Blood squirted out around his blade and a crackle came from the compressed carapaced. The stinger remained attached however, seeming to be hanging slack now with the cracked exoskeleton around it. Amid the sound of more of Weiss' assault, Jaune heaved another downward swipe that didn't connect.

The wall of ice gave way and the Grimm's tail reared back, Jaune's eyes followed as it went back. snapping away to Crocea. With his shield on the ground out of his reach, he dove at it in an attempt to defend himself. The tail jetted toward him faster than he could move, a shot rang out through the forest.

A large caliber bullet connected with the exposed joint of the tail, in an explosion of sinew and bone the stinger separated from the rest of the tail. It fell harmlessly to the ground, Jaune took the opportunity to retrieve his shield. Keeping his eyes trained on the monster.

A flutter of red appeared from the forest to his left, opposite Weiss. "Jaune!" he heard in a feminine voice. With the creature reeling from it's lost appendage, he took a moment to regard the newcomer. _Ruby_.

"Happy you could drop in," he said, smiling cheerily. He was glad to see a friendly face. "Thanks for the save, but we'll have to chat later." Rolling his shoulder again lightly, the moment's reprieve allowing the pain to creep back into his mind.

Ruby nodded to him, giving the creature a discerning look. She too was unable to see an opening that her attacks could get into. Turning to her partner in the tree above her. "Blake, any ideas?"

The concealed girl responded with a quiet shake of her head. Jaune's eyes drifting to her for a brief moment to acknowledge her presence. Being trained as she was, she could identify his eyes shifting across the enemy's body. Remaining crouched, she readied her own weapon loading a clip of rounds into the pistol portion of Gambol Shroud.

Jaune took in the information he had at the moment, realizing they'd need to force the Grimm's arms open to expose it's weakened faceplate. "Weiss, how're you fairing?" Regarding his partner, he could tell her breathing was becoming erratic from the exertion.

Frowning at him for taking a moment to regard her condition, his eyes scanning her body. "I'm fine, a Schnee is trained to deal with worse than this," she turned her nose up at him accenting her defiance.

Jaune's lip turned slightly at this, it was almost funny how much she tried to hide her exhaustion. "Ok," choosing not to anger her and risk her focus. "Ruby, Weiss, attack from the sides," pausing a moment to see them nod, "Blake circle around to it's back and support whoever it turns on." Jaune wasn't sure of the extent of Blake's armament at this point, choosing to try to handle it's front himself for the time being.

The scorpion's cries ceased and it rushed forward through the wall of ice between them. Jaune brushed aside some of the chunks of ice falling on him with his shield. Both Weiss and Ruby began to lay into it's side, splitting its attention. It's charge slowed, beginning to turn on Weiss slightly. Jaune put himself into a run, driving his shield under the creature's arm with all his weight. Stabbing at the exposed portion of it's body underneath, finding a bit of give.

In response the Grimm lifted its arm, cocking it back for a sweep to knock Jaune aside. Stepping out from under it slightly, he brought his shield about to try to absorb the hit. A blade flashed across the front of the scorpion with a bang and imbedded in one of the joints of the offending arm. A black ribbon attached to the blade was pulled taught stalling it's swing for a moment. Jaune leaped backward rolling under the claw as it extended. Blake followed after the swing on the other end of the ribbon, her sword coming loose with a flick of her wrist. She swung from one of the branches encroaching on the clearing and landed softly on the ground.

Jaune considered their course of action for a moment. "Ruby, get some distance but set up in front of it." Not taking the time to acknowledge the other's responses, needing to work quickly. "Weiss, once Ruby is set, lock it down." Standing now, he began to circle the creature, gesturing to Blake to do the same. "Blake, we're going to get it's arms open. It only needs to be for a moment."

Each of the girls moved immediately, Ruby using her semblance to disappear in a blur of red. Planting Crescent Rose in the ground and loading it ready for a minimal window to fire through.

As soon as Ruby had established her firing position, Weiss went into action gliding into range of the creature as it turned on Ruby. Putting herself into a graceful spin before unleashing another torrent of ice enclosing her target's legs completely.

Jaune rushed in riding the tide of ice, intent on forcing on of the pincers open again. Driving his shield under it once more and lifting from his knees. Feeling his muscles tense, the blood rushing to support the exertion. Feeling his whole body begin to burn, he drove his sword into the underside of the Grimm once more, it gave a violent clicking noise at the intrusion, pushing down on him. It's weight pressed down on his body, his muscles screaming at him in pain.

In that instant, it lifted its other claw to sweep out it's attacker. Again Blake's Gambol Shroud caught the claw as it extended, pulling back with all of her weight and momentum moving opposite it's attack. It's claw hitched for an instant at it's full extension.

Through it's opened defenses a small wedge of aluminum and lead disappeared into the exposed flesh that Jaune had earlier cut open. Tearing through the soft flesh, death following through the hole made in its wake. The shot rang out as the light faded from the Grimm's eyes. Falling limp as the round from Cresent Rose slowed to a stop inside it. Both bringers of death having exhausted themselves for a final time.

Jaune crawled out from underneath the now lifeless creature, putting Crocea away on his hip and cradling his arm slightly. Taking in the scene before him, he could feel the results of this kind of conflict on his unprepared body. He'd have to get used to this feeling if he wanted to succeed, thinking about how they'd manage to succeed against such a powerful foe allowed him to feel a bit more content. He scanned his surroundings finding his companions assembling around him.

Blake landed gracefully again gliding over to her companions as they gather before the felled creature. Ruby fluidly stored Crescent Rose, hopping up onto the balls of her feet and approaching. Weiss seemed as composed as ever, making her way toward him with precisely measured steps.

He let out a sigh of relief that everyone seemed to be unharmed. With nothing but his shoulder injury to show for it, this battle seemed rather smooth of an ordeal by Grimm standards. "Scratch one Grimm" he beamed at the ladies around him. Proud of his accomplishment.

Blake responded, the first time he'd recalled her speaking. Her voice was soft and reserved, not meek but selective. "It certainly could have gone worse, your plan worked well," Blake not knowing how much that meant to him to be acknowledged for his success. All Jaune could do was grin and puff out his chest slightly.

Weiss took notice to his ego, choosing to deflate him before he got too full of himself. "With the shoulder injury, it was reckless at best to assume you could hold back a Grimm of that size." Gesturing toward the carcase with her thumb. She'd noticed him cradling his arm as he stood, clearly not having fully recovered she found herself angry that he'd put himself in that position. She surmised her anger was due to the chance that she'd be held accountable for not properly resetting his shoulder.

Ruby piped up, "Jaune, you got hurt? When? I didn't see you get hit. Is it bad?" Twirling around him in a blur, stopping with each question to examine him with scrutiny.

Jaune laughed awkwardly at her closeness, "I'm fine Ruby, it was before you guys arrived." Smiling at the younger girl for her concern, he couldn't help but feel himself becoming more comfortable with his situation. He'd be so worried that he wouldn't be able to work with the other students, or he'd be unable to keep up at all. This skirmish helped him strengthen his resolve to succeed, being able to work with his peers to fell a powerful enemy.

Turning to the girls, "Well, this is clearly not the temple, so let's keep going?" Weiss' steady glare at him had turned his sentence into a question toward the end, unsure of how he'd become the recipient of her ire. He locked eyes with her, unsure of how to thank his partner for all the support during such a difficult time. Somewhere within her frowning eyes, he was able to make out concern of some sort, he wasn't sure where he saw it but he trusted the feeling.


	6. Drowning

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RWBY. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

 **A/N:** I'm really happy with all the positive response to the story. I'm working on trying to get more out as quick as I can, at the same time I'd like to try to focus on maintaining quality. In light of that, I'm not releasing as much as I'd like until I can be sure it's up to par. I'm nearing the end of the initiation, so, we'll start to see more deviation in the story. Thanks again for reading ^_^

 **A/N (on characters):** It might not matter to most, but I know some people have commented on the characters used in the story, I'll be trying to keep most of them very close to their in story counter-parts at first. They'll diverge away, due to the changing events of the story however. Along with that, I do want to treat these characters as the teenagers they are, so, expect there to be plenty of uncertainty in how they think.

The pairs of students made their way through the forest, surrounded by flora and fauna. The dense forest enclosed them in a close walking space, only being able to traverse in twos. Each partner padded through the the crisp forest air. Their steps bit into the crunchy bed of leaves, harmonized by the leaves of the trees above them caressing one another in tune with the wind. The steady rhythm of the forest settled them into a relaxed pace, despite the dangers of the forest around them there were rests between each beat of the wind, no other sounds could be heard.

The teens had settled into walking with their partners, a reasonable distance between each of them to be able to avoid being surrounded easily. Jaune and Weiss stood shoulder to shoulder, the narrow path disallowing the heiress from making much distance from him. She resigned herself to the somewhat awkward silence between the two of them, finding herself unable to enjoy the surrounding nature the same way Jaune seemed to.

Her mind drifted to her botched treatment of his shoulder and her embarrassment at their contact afterward, she could remember his smell most clearly. Her father and the other men in her life always smelled of artificial cologne and other attempts to mask their own essence. However, Jaune seemed contrastingly natural, she'd trained herself to guard against others due to their hidden intentions toward her and by extension her status.

Finding herself delving deeper into the multitude of questions that arose from this feeling, she could only come to the conclusion that he was intriguing. Going against the trend of the people she'd met, while she avoided that type of physical contact in general, she had never found herself forced to re-examine an impression of someone to this extent. Weiss prided herself on her ability to judge the deeper ambitions in others actions and words, for now she'd observe further if her partner really wasn't hiding something like that.

In his enjoyment of the foliage scattered about, Jaune didn't notice the fencer's scrutiny. She was reminded of his expression while he had reassured her about her ability to fix his shoulder. It was so very different from the boyish looks that she'd seen from him prior and even now, she wasn't able to see a hint of the intensity that was present during that moment. Her previous feelings that he was a shallow boy could have explained her uncertainty over his actions having an ulterior motive, but that memory of support he'd offered complicated things. She settled to observe him further, a unique case potentially, but not one she wouldn't be able to overcome in time.

As the moments passed with her eyes delving into him, Jaune finally noticed her attention and gave her a goofy grin. "What's up partner?" Reminding her of their now long term connection with his question, the amount of time she'd have to spend on his unique case bared down on her. Shaking her head to push away the pressure that had pierced her for the moment, Weiss tried to formulate a response to brush off why she'd been staring him down.

"It's nothing." Great, that'll throw him off, she berated herself for not coming up with something better. He tilted his head slightly, quirking an eyebrow at the shallow response. Her only respite was to give him a scowl that would tell him she didn't want to talk further, hoping he'd take the hint.

Jaune for his part was becoming quickly more and more confused, she'd be walking with her eyes locked directly on his form for some time. He took the moment to make sure she was doing ok, and tried to reassure her with a smile. After a battle like the one they'd just had, he figured she was feeling nervous about the future. However, she seemed to want to push him away quickly, he didn't really understand her motivations. "Alright, if you need anything just let me know."

He could tell she didn't want to talk further, but he was now her partner so he didn't want to close the door on her talking to him. Not knowing anything about her really, he wasn't sure how she'd respond to anything he said or did at this point. Reflecting on their previous interactions, she was always cold and aloof with him, so he figured it best not to push for now. A forest teeming with Grimm wasn't the best place to try to work on ice breakers. Ha, Weiss breakers, I'll have to remember that one. Smiling to himself.

"I think we found it!" Ruby's voice cut through the tension as she exclaimed and gestured toward an opening in the trees that featured a large temple like structure. As they all stepped into the opening the sunlight enclosed their vision revealing the environment in stages. The clearing was massive, stretching over a wide area covered in grassy waves of green shifting under the breeze. Amidst the motion, the temple stood static as it had for many years from the looks of it; some green vines and patches of grass pushing their way into and over the cracked stone pillars. Within it stood a few pedestals with small trinkets perched on top.

Jaune made eye contact with Weiss once more, seeing that everyone had adjusted to the new lighting. "We made it," giving her another smile, "let's go grab the relic." He broke into a light jog, with Weiss following behind him at a slower pace. Ruby fell in line beside him, just an enthused to be able to get the treasure they'd been sent for.

Coming up on the circular structure, they all ascended the few steps onto the platform. Each of pedestals had a small chess piece placed on top. "I guess we take one as pairs," Ruby surmised, placing a hand on her chin to display her deep contemplation. Blake gliding up behind her to await her decision, her eyes seeming to be enjoying the childish enthusiasm quietly. Jaune guessed that it didn't really matter to her which piece they picked, unsure of his own partner's opinion on the matter he regarded Weiss.

"Any preference on what we pick?" Deciding it would probably be best to let her take the initiative on the subject. The scowl remained on her face, her arms crossed defensively. She seemed uncomfortable with something, but he had no way to place what it was. Hoping she'd respond eventually, he turned to face her and waited.

Weiss still found herself unsure of how to deal with the idea of partners. She fell back on her previous experiences with men for how to deal with the young swordsman, but found herself lacking for a proper reaction. Usually she'd be told what was the best option, she expected Jaune to make the choice and she'd simply go along with something so innocuous. At the same time, Jaune was someone clearly below her in social standing and his opinion shouldn't hold any weight with her either.

Despite the pregnant silence, Jaune continued to simply wait on her answer. Weiss found herself growing annoyed with his inability to figure out her intentions, where did the commanding tone and confident demeanor go from before. Jaune tilted his head slightly, in an effort to get her attention. Shaking Weiss from her thoughts, she realized she'd given him enough time. "Very well, grab that one." She pointed toward the Knight piece opposite from where Ruby was standing.

Ruby piped up, "We can both take the same ones!" Her face beamed at having something in common with more people. Jaune smiled, the younger girl's enthusiasm shaking off his apprehension. Both he and Ruby stepped up to their pedestal and took their pieces. Smirking to each other, they both turned back to their partners.

"Back to the cliff then?" Jaune offered, gauging the response from the group. Blake gave him an almost indiscernible nod, however Weiss still offered almost nothing in response. Shifting her balance to her right leg and keeping her arms crossed in front of her. She clearly wasn't impressed, but he figured 2 out of three positive responses was good enough. With that they went back into their walking pattern toward the cliffside again.

* * *

The group found themselves again in a quiet commute returning toward their point of origin. Walking a bit closer together this time, an awkward silence had settled over the teens. Weiss continued to close herself off from the group, choosing to dwell on her own thoughts. In light of his partner's cold shoulder, Jaune decided it best to try to break the silence with his other companions.

"So, Ruby?" the words having come out of his mouth before he actually knew what to follow them with. His mind going into overdrive, trying to figure out a topic to salvage his dignity. A blush creeping into his face as both Ruby and her partner turned to regard him.

"Yes, Jaune?" Ruby wasn't really sure how to respond either; so, she tried to let him lead the conversation. Her own brain trying to run through different scenarios of what he might want to talk about. Each variation of the ensuing conversation that she was able to simulate ended with her embarrassed and unsure of how to proceed.

From the moment the two made eye contact, they both knew they were at an impasse. Each being driven deeper into a hole of uncertainty; they could each feel themselves sinking into questions they felt they had answers to. None of the answers seemed to improve the situation, as if just before the two drowned in their own thoughts, a muted cough from their third party suddenly brought them ashore.

Jaune shook his head violently, the non-existent water drained from his ears. Able to again hear his thoughts clearly, "I was wondering, how did you two end up at that cave?" He threw out the first thing that came to mind, in light of Blake's save he was brought to their previous assistance with the Deathstalker.

Ruby was relieved that the tension seemed broken; her own enthusiasm shaking off her apprehension. "Well, I was running through the forest when I found a pair of Ursa. They were all angry and red and stuff; so, I was like 'Time for some action'." Her arms flailing in mock battle poses; complete with onomatopoeia. Her story continued to describe in some detail how she dispatched the two bear-like-Grimm.

Jaune couldn't help but smile at the younger teen; her energy infecting him. In contrast the content of her story, being about fighting a horrible deadly creature, the tone came off as something that she truly enjoyed. He found himself conflicted in how to interpret the fights he'd been in, his own feelings were those of fear and self-preservation. However, his companion saw it almost as a sort of game, like there was no real threat to her safety. While he couldn't shake her happiness from keeping him in the moment, in the back of his mind he wasn't able to shake the reminder that his peers were on a level far above him.

Her story continued, "When more Ursa came out of the bushes; Blake here came swooping out of the trees. She was so fast, swinging her sword and ribbon around. She'd leave these clones behind at the last moment; and then appear behind them and take them out." Having seen Blake in combat only for a few moments; Jaune didn't really know how much of the story was embellishment and how much of it was true.

Blake for her part was silent, giving a slight nod at seemingly random intervals. Acknowledging Ruby's story with a bit more attentiveness than he was. Pushing himself to tune back in, he managed to catch the part of the story that actually address his question. "So, having taken out all the monsters with our amazing skills, we were then partners. The sounds of another fight going on interrupted us, so, we both rushed in to save you!" Her story continued to re-enact the fight they'd just been in together.

Jaune made eye contact with Blake, her own amber irises focusing in on his. He gave a questioning look, in an effort to see if she'd confirm the validity of the story. In hindsight; it didn't really matter how much of the story was hyperbole, but he found himself drawn to including the fourth member of their party into the conversation. She didn't end up giving him the verbal response he'd hoped for, but her eyes softened slightly and she gave another nod of her head.

The three having come to a stop during their conversation, Weiss had created some distance from herself and them. She found herself again lost in her own thoughts, spurred on by the antics of her companions. Anxiety built in her chest at the idea of being stuck with imbeciles like this for her four year stay at Beacon. They'd been competent enough at combat, but to allow a girl like Ruby into the school when she clearly lacked the maturity required was beyond her. On top of this, Jaune and Blake were encouraging her poor behaviour.

Giving them a vicious glare was all she could do, now having stopped to keep from getting too far from the others. Unable to keep her thoughts to herself any longer, "Would you all hurry up, this isn't a field trip!" Her anger betraying her, she ended up speaking out louder than she had intended; bringing her hand up toward her face, obscuring her visage somewhat in embarrassment.

Ruby's story was cut short, having provided all the factual information that was really needed regardless of Weiss' outburst. The three turned to face the heiress; all stunned somewhat by her tantrum. Yet again the teens found themselves in an uncertain silence. Jaune taking that moment to look to each of them for a way to respond, however he found no relief from the other students.

Instead their silence was broken by the pop of gunfire and a loud screech in the distance. The four made eye contact one more time, Blake finally speaking, "It came from the south, toward the cliffside." The three girls reacted immediately, breaking into a run toward the sounds of another conflict. Each drawing their weapon and readying themselves for the fight with what sounded like another large Grimm.

Jaune hesitated, he'd finally been on his way out of the fight; prepared himself to finally be able to relax and calm down. The others switched on so quickly, able to fight without a moment's notice, but here he was unsure of himself yet again. Despite being able to defeat the Deathstalker with their help, even being able to hold his own against some Beowolves, he couldn't help the fear he held about rushing into the fight.

In that moment he found himself drowning again, deep in his self-doubt. He wasn't sure what had changed that made him unable to move; but he had something in those previous fights and it suddenly felt missing. "Arc, hurry up!" The voice cut through his fear, the feeling he had during the earlier fights flooded in it's place. Slowly letting out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding, he turned to find his partner looking at him unhappily yet again, and he sprinted after them.

The forest relented into a wide open field, more ruinous stone buildings were present and in the distance a figure of raven soared through the air around a crumbling tower or stone. It was a massive creature, it's tail fluttering behind it as it swooped toward the flashes of yellow, green, pink, and red. Bringing its talons to bear, Jaune was able to perceive its avian shape more clearly.

It took only a moment for all of them to come to grips with what was happening, "Nevermore!" Weiss was the first to speak out, exclaiming the term used for this type of Grimm. It took another brief moment for the group to understand the other party in the conflict.

"We need to help them, that's Yang!" Ruby yelled out, breaking away from the group in a blur of red, leaving only rose petals in her wake. She began firing on the creature from a distance, her higher caliber weapon having considerable impact on the creature from even their significant distance.

Jaune turned to the other pair of girls, "We need to help, let's move." They nodded to him, with this foe in their path, they'd need to go through it no matter what. However, Ruby had created a substantial distance with her semblance. Making it difficult for them to formulate a plan at that point.

In answer to their arrival, the nevermore banked sharply and came to bear on Ruby. Out in the open her agility would be more than enough to avoid it's talons, however with a swift clap of it's wings jet black darts were loosed in a barrage toward her. Ruby who had stopped to fire on the creature rolled in an attempt to avoid the attack. Her hood was caught by one of the projectiles, which she could now see were blade like feathers.

The shadow of the creature descended on her, it's talons flickering against the light as they came underneath it intent on slicing the girl into ribbons. Another blur of black swept across her vision, the ebony blade of Gambol Shroud sliced across the Grimms white skull. Blake herself swinging around under its head, pulling up hard on it's neck as she came around onto it's back.

The nevermore was forced to pull out of its sweep, extending its talons at full length in an attempt to still catch the immobile Ruby. However it only managed to smash off a piece of ice from a wall that had materialized to shield the girl. The barrier originating from Weiss, who had come into position just moments prior.

Jaune closed the remaining distance between himself and Ruby, heaving Crocea Mors to cut into the spike holding Ruby in place. The force of the impact jarring it loose and allowing her to move. "Are you ok?" Jaune asked concerned in his eyes.

"I'm fine, I'm sorry for jumping out there," Ruby's voice trembled, afraid to make eye contact with the older boy. Her own mind swimming in a lack of self-efficacy, being pushed onto a team of strangers had caught up to her in that moment.

Jaune looked away from the creature soaring overhead to look down at the teen. "Don't worry about it, just be sure to thank your partner." Jaune not being one to criticize someone for being ineffective in a fight, decided to try to keep the girl more positive.

As if summoned by the words, Blake was thrown from the back of the nevermore and came crashing down to the cliffside below. "Blake!" She exclaimed, coming to her feet and looking frantically for a way to catch her.

"Weiss, can you slow your fall?" Jaune swiftly turned to the heiress, formulating a plan as quick as he could to ensure they all came out unharmed.

"Of course I can do it," she turned her head away from him somewhat, arching her neck in a protest to what seemed like it should be obvious to him.

Jaune bent at the knees, positioning his shield above his head. "I'll get you up there," awaiting the fencer's leap up to his shield he turned his head to Ruby. "Keep mobile but try to shoot at that thing when you can"

Weiss paused for a moment, a torrent of thoughts running through her head at the sudden turn of events. Here she was again being ordered by this nobody in Jaune Arc, in that instant she found herself conflicted by how things had come to this point. She'd come to Beacon with the intent of being successful beyond just what her family name would imply, expecting to be a stand out against her peers and acquire her own accomplishments. However, in the past few hours she had been taking the lead of this boy she'd just met.

In the previous fights it hadn't been much of an issue, they'd been pressed for time and simply did what needed to be done. She found herself questioning why she'd not taken any of the time they'd spent walking to explained his position to him. She couldn't understand why it hadn't occurred to her during that time.

"Weiss, hurry!" Her thoughts were broken, it had only been for a brief moment that she'd stopped, but it felt like she'd been standing still for some time to her own mind. Her body stiffened before she sprinted forward and leaping up onto Jaune's shield. He reacted almost instantly, sending her skyward toward their falling companion. Myrtenaster still in hand she formed a glyph in the air above her, leaving it behind as she ascended.

"Take my hand," Weiss reached out to Blake, if the two could get close enough to slow their descent with the glyph she'd made below then they'd be able to land without a problem. Blake maneuvered in the air, shifting her weight and aligning herself with Weiss gracefully, Weiss found herself astonished by the ninja's ability to orient herself during a fall. Now in position, the two clasped hands and descended through the white glyph below. Feeling their speed decrease abruptly shook the two but they both separated and landed on their feet.

On the ground Jaune could only marvel at the agility the two displayed, his thoughts broken by a scowl from Weiss, "What're you looking at?". Weiss coming to realization of the position his head had been in when she stood on his shield. Anger welling up inside her, her aura flickering around her in an almost flame like haze. "How dare you?" She began to stomp toward the knight, prepared to run him through.

Jaune stood stark still, feeling the anger radiate from the heiress. He had no idea what had set her off, but he found himself preparing his shield nonetheless as he was clearly the target. He let out a girlish eep as she took her last audible step into range to attack him. "Weiss, what's wrong?" Choosing to answer two questions with a third didn't seem to alleviate the situation.

"You know what's wrong you pervert, I should've known." Not only had he been taking the lead from her but now he had embarrassed her in front of her peers and likely the faculty. Her previous confusion turned to anger, catalysed by this misunderstanding.

If not for the loud screech of their impending demise Jaune would have found himself the only one who didn't survive initiation. The nevermore again swept forward in its dive, loosing another barrage of feathers at the quarrelling teens. Ruby and Blake had separated from the group to fire on the creature, but the brighter pair found themselves close enough together to draw the fire of the creature.

"Weiss, move!" Jaune demanded, as he ran toward the girl, deploying his shield intent on blocking the projectiles. Weiss quickly deployed another wall of ice to protect the pair, as Jaune stepped in front of her. The wall curled around the two, reaching into the sky toward their attacker. The feather impacted the ice, some shunting off in different directions, but one crashed through continuing on it's path. Jaune's shield rose and he braced for impact.


	7. Shadow Overhead

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RWBY. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

 **A/N** :Had intended to release this earlier in the day, sorry for the late post. I'll try to make up for it by releasing some the next one a little ahead of schedule.

The spear-like feather drove toward the partners, slowed by the ice it contacted with Jaune's shield. The force of the blow washed over his body, his knee buckling as he slid backward into Weiss. The smaller shards of ice that followed deflected off his body, his armor and aura protecting from the less massive projectiles. Weiss placed her forearm in front of herself, bracing Jaune and keeping them both standing.

Jaune turned his head back to see her face; what he found staring back at him would stick with him forever. The rage she'd had toward him was still present, but it was directed differently. There was an intensity in her eyes; it drove into his mind embedding itself in his own psyche. Where before he found himself sinking into his own self-doubt, the feeling he found himself surrounded in this time drove him to action. He didn't understand why the look in her eyes held a deeper meaning for him, it felt like something he was missing; a drive to accomplish something more, to be something more.

His musings were stopped by another screech from the Nevermore, as its body shuttered with the impact of what appeared to be large pink projectiles. Each one exploded on impact, rocking the avian creature's body and forcing it to adjust its flightpath. Each shot was accompanied by enthusiastic yelling from it's point of origin. Jaune recognized the girl as Nora, the girl he'd seen in the locker room prior to initiation.

She was followed by another force of nature loudly attacking the Grimm, he could make out Yang making loud comments of her own as she grappled with the bird. She as well was firing her weapons, this time at near point blank range. _Forces of Nature_. All he could think of was just how unstoppable the two seemed. Despite their energy, the bird-like Grimm continued to swing around trying to attack the teens still on the ground while shaking to throw Yang to the ground.

Ruby continued to fire on the creature as per his orders, leaving Blake, Weiss and himself to question where to go from here. They needed a way to cause significant damage to the monster beyond the superficial explosions and impact of Ruby's rounds. Based on the information he had at this point; the largest weapon they had was Ruby's scythe, however she wasn't strong enough on her own to cut through the Nevermore's feathers. His own sword being unable to cut into the one that had pinned her implied that they would need much more force than that.

He had some idea of the abilities of 6 of them so far, leaving the last two figures he'd seen when entering the clearing. His mind went to work trying to come up with a plan to get an attack through its defenses. He decided his first step would be to regroup and assess more of what they had available, "Blake, provide support for Ruby but don't stray too far from the group." The stoic girl nodded, and broke into a run toward her partner. Turning to Weiss, Jaune made eye contact with the girl who was still attempting to burn holes in his head with her eyes.

Leering aside, he still couldn't shake being struck by her gaze. In response he found himself providing more questions than answers, "Do you think we should regroup with the others, and come up with a plan?" While he'd already intended to do so, having already order Blake to draw fire, he found himself attempting to follow the heiress' lead. Her scrutiny reminded him of the thin facade he'd been keeping to veil the other initiates of his origins.

Weiss took this moment to consider his question, she'd been feeling her own mounting anxiety churn inside her, mixing with her anger and focusing directly on her partner's face. His question, while reasonable to relinquish leadership to her, seemed to only push her anger further. "You seemed fine making decisions up until now, why ask me?" Her tone was harsh and scathing; Jaune seemed to recoil at the words, as if they had swung violently toward him.

After stealing the show from her this whole time and deciding to order the other two immediately, he had the audacity to stop with her and give her special treatment. She would take her role of leadership on her own terms, not be given it at the last moment. She found her previous assessment of his uniqueness shaken by his choice to offer her pity at a time like this, as if she were some damsel or princess who couldn't take what she wanted for herself. _I'll show him_. She'd follow his plan, and when it failed from his incompetence, she would come up with a solution of her own to win the battle.

The wind being taken from Jaune's sails by the harsh cloud of emotions Weiss had thrown his way put him in a difficult position. On the one hand; she clearly wanted him to just continue about his plan, however he'd been looking for her feedback to help him formulate said plan into a workable state. Deciding not to press his luck however he decided they'd need to find a way to get the two groups together.

The other group seemed to be positioned around a ruined tower in the middle of a ravine. The cliffside was across the ravine, with the tower situated in the middle of it. It's crumbling features implied it was similar in age to all the previous structures in the forest, which led him to the destroyed bridge that led to the tower. Considering that the other group was currently on the tower firing on the Grimm, he figured it'd been destroyed during the fight and likely was the reason they were stuck fighting it from such an isolated position.

Taking a deep breath Jaune decided to put his plan into action, turning to Weiss this time with conviction in his voice. "Weiss, make a bridge of ice to allow them to get off that tower," choosing not to wait for his response he turned to the other pair, and began to run to them to give his next piece of orders.

Weiss was taken aback by his response to her harshness, expecting him to collapse like so many others and be unable to formulate a proper response. Regardless, she expected whatever he'd come up with wouldn't end up working, before things turned too bad she would have a chance to step in and be able to provide her own solution to the issue of the Grimm. When that time came she would be ready, for now she would play along with the boy's plan. She unholstered Myrtenaster and spun to her white dust chamber, flicking her wrist in a circle and drawing in the details for a glyph to replace the broken bridge that Jaune had requested.

Jaune closed in on the two girls, trying to decide on the best course of action from here. The two continued to fire on their enemy as he approached, "Ruby, I need you to get onto that tower and get the others to safety. Weiss will make a bridge." Ruby turned to Jaune for a brief moment to acknowledge his plan and took off in another blur of red and rose petals. Giving Blake a look over, she seemed to be winded from dodging around the Nevermore's attacks, she responded with a quirked eyebrow and again no words.

They would need to get the creature's attention away from the other group of teens to allow them to be able to cross the temporary bridge safely. They're small arms fire didn't seem to have any real effect on the defense of its thatched feathers. its jet body seemed to cut a swath through the bright blue sky that was present on this day. If not for its form the almost cloudless sky would be an even brilliant blue throughout.

Jaune's mind suddenly clicked on how he would be able to get the Grimm's attention, the brilliant blue sky was created by the rays of sunlight scattering and reflecting in the air above them. He could use a reflection to draw its ire his way, "Blake regroup with Weiss and be ready to cover me. I'll handle the big guy." The ninja-esque initiate blinked out of existence, leaving behind a clone as she disappeared toward their glyph casting companion.

Lifting Crocea Mors over his head, Jaune caught the ray of sunlight with the blade and found its reflection on the cliff-side. The Nevermore had finally thrown Yang from its head and began to turn on the now assembling group of students. Working quickly, Jaune aligned the reflection with the Grimm's eye-level and and flicked it across its face, repeating the action several times to increase its effect. His target let out another shrill noise and banked in his direction. _That worked_. Sheathing his blade in its shield, he kept the defensive aspect of the pair engaged and broke into a run away from the oncoming death above him.

The field was flanked by two ruinous structures that seemed to be a part of the greater complex including the tower. They seemed to look something akin to raised stands. With pillars holding what appeared to be seating that looked down over the expanse they'd been fighting in. While he was sure that they wouldn't stand up to an attack from the shadow above him, they would provide him with somewhere to hide and possibly be able to get around it to get back to his companions. _Running and hiding, I can get behind this_. His current plan stopped at getting the student's together, which he'd succeeded at, however considering his current situation; he was at a loss as to what to do.

Fighting or evading the Nevermore was out of the question, his lack of mobility and skill just wouldn't allow for him to fight it head on. The shadow above him seemed to realize this as well, and became darker as it descended on him. Deciding now was as good a time as any, he dove behind one of the aforementioned pillars. Like expected the pillar buckled against the swooping talons, and the whole structure began to crumble. Jaune would've preferred to try to wait it out and hide, but since that option was clearly not going to work out he circled back around the pillar and dove out from under the crumbling grandstands.

As if releasing many years of tension, the stone sighed as it hit the ground, releasing a thick cloud of dust into the air. The Nevermore flapped its wings and began to gain some altitude and distance to make another sweep. Stirring up the dust cloud into a swirling mass that obscured Jaune's form.

Weiss and the other girls had successfully gotten the other students off of the tower by getting them across the ice bridge she had created. Ruby was re-united with her sister, and the two exchanged a quick hug and girlish squeal. Weiss turned to the only one of the group she knew, and the person she felt would be the most capable of helping her figure out what to do from here. "Pyrrha, any ideas on how we can dispatch this Nevermore?" Deciding that the direct approach would be the best one.

"I had wanted to avoid fighting it at all, but we found ourselves at a dead-end with this tower." The champion's answer wasn't as much help as the heiress had hoped, she'd taken the most prudent plan of avoiding a battle that was not part of their mission. They simply didn't have the firepower to cause any real damage at this point. Weiss began to try to plot out a way for the students to be able to scale the cliff-side quickly using another ice bridge.

She would need to be quick about it, as the creature would soon be closing on them again. Deciding now would be the time to speak up, her voice caught in her mouth as she was interrupted by Blake of all people. "Jaune needs our help." The statement held significantly more meaning than they all understood at this moment, but the present meaning drew her attention to the thick cloud that had appeared around a crumbling section of the ruins.

Overlooking the cloud was the seemingly invincible Grimm that they had been fighting; it was turning to line up a shot of its feathers into the obscuring mass, and subsequently Jaune hiding inside. In that moment, her thoughts for their group to make a break for it came crashing down on her. She had been prepared to leave him for dead, sacrificing his life for the lives of the rest. A pragmatic solution, and one that suited her business minded family; this thought infuriated her.

Before she could truly think about the consequences of trying to save her partner, she began to run back into the fight. Thinking only of attacking the avian creature overhead and figuring out the rest as they went. The rest of the group took only a moment to react, "Here comes the cavalry!" The voice of Nora, laced with excitement announced their charge. Each of the students rushed into the fray, firing on the Nevermore in a focused stream seemed to garner its attention.

Still with no way to pierce its armor like body, they could only rely on the impact of each projectile to wear it down and draw it away. In response to the issue, a larger and much heavier than normal pillar of ice, darted through their vision. its shape was much less refined, much blunter than normal and not as streamlined. It rammed into the Nevermore and rocked its body, forcing it to realign itself with the group and draw back away from them.

Following the ice shard's path back to Weiss, she remained in the final pose of her glyph; her shoulders raising and falling with her heavy breathing. Her eyes were locked on the creature, waiting to see its next move; daring it to return to her range. All the anger of the day was finally directed at the proper enemy, and she was ready to throw every outburst possible in its path.

Jaune found himself on his back unable to see anything around him, his head rolled back into the ground ringing with pain. Trying to piece together the events that had led him to where he was now. His hearing finally began to clear of the synonymous ringing with the rest of his head, and was replaced with a distant crackle. His eyes finally began to clear, but he was still unable to see anything through the thick cloud that enveloped him. _Not what I expected from my afterlife_.

The haze in his mind was blown away at the sound of a huge crash somewhere above him, followed by a few smaller impacts below the original sound. The cacophony of blunt impacts reminded him of the events up to this point. _Running for my life, right_. Keeping Crocea's shield drawn, he struggled to move his stiff joints in an effort to get back up. All of the days conflict finally came crashing down on his abused body, he couldn't imagine being able to do so much fighting in one day.

Ever moving part of his body seemed to be whining at him for trying to move, death had seemed like an alright outcome in contrast to the pain. The crackling in the distance was echoed by voices other than his own. "Blake watch out!" The voices seemed frantic, his mind slowly piecing things together. Gunfire, yelling, and a new screech from the Nevermore finally got him to his feet, he needed to help in any small way he could.

One foot in front of the other, he walked slowly toward the sounds of fighting. The haze around him cleared before him, following suit with his mind, before him was the clear picture of his party of students holding their ground against a huge Grimm. Finally able to acknowledge the last members as the young man Ren from earlier in the day, and Pyrrha the girl he'd met with Weiss. All of them we're trading the ire of the Nevermore, dodging a barrage of feathers and firing back at it.

His eyes drifted across the field, taking in everything that was happening, trying to piece together what they had available. They're best advantage at the moment was numbers, but they couldn't put their abilities to a good use with the beast overhead like this. The first thing they would need to do is limit its mobility by bringing it to the ground.

Finding Weiss separated from the group and firing off her signature ice shards into the sky, beginning to cobble together a plan; he made his way to her. Upon approaching her, she turned to him and gave a strange look. The look appeared to be almost apologetic to him, but he hadn't an inkling as to why she would be apologizing to him. Within a moment however, her mood seemed to sour. "About time Arc, we need to get out of here," he wasn't sure what she meant by that however.

"Weiss, I have an idea." He decided to ignore the confusion for now, and focus on what he needed to do to get this plan into motion.

Weiss cut him off however, having her own ideas about what they would need to do next. "We haven't the time for your foolish endeavors, your last idea nearly killed you." She did have a point that things didn't go quite as planned, not that he had planned much past getting its attention. "We need to get to the top of the cliff, I'll make another bridge to get us up there. We will need to keep its attention away from the one's climbing".

Jaune took in her statements, and understood the plan she had in mind. It was probably the best way to ensure most of them could make it away, but they had no way of knowing if they would receive any aid even if they made it to the top. "Weiss, I need you to trust me. We need to kill this thing to get all of us out of here safely."

Weiss' thoughts were torn, she had her own plan for getting everyone out of here. While there were plenty of risks, continuing to fight had just as many. Her pride meant that she wanted to be the one to lead them to safety, but at the same time; her pragmatic outlook had almost left her partner to his death. She hadn't thought of the implications of making such a powerful decision, and it made her confused about the right course of action.

While her own plan held some pride with her, being able to trust him after having almost left him behind was also a proper way to apologize for her brash actions. It would be a good way to move past the guilt that she'd been feeling, while at the same time maintaining her pride in front of the team by showing her ability to work well with her partner. This would be the best way to approach the situation and still save her standing in front of the faculty that was watching.

Turning her head back to make eye-contact with him, she found him lunging for her with his shield raised above them. He was yelling something, but she wasn't able to piece together the words before his body came crashing into her's and she was jerked to the side when his arm came violently around her in response to a loud impact responding through her body. Finally finding herself laying on the ground with Jaune's body draped over her and a throbbing pain in her neck.

More noises were coming from Jaune's mouth, as he moved to his hands and knees above her. Her name seemed to come into focus with the rest of her senses, "Weiss, are you ok?" His question was a stupid one considering what had just happened, but she humored him with a response anyway.

"Yes, I'm fine," when she made to move onto her haunches, her neck seemed be stiff and lacking the movement she would like to have. Any attempt to move it beyond a slight angle change caused a stinging pain in retort. Her aura would need time to heal this injury, but with all the fighting they had gone though today, it likely wasn't strong enough to deal with it right now.

Moving to her feet, followed by Jaune, she turned her body to him as a means of avoiding moving her neck. "What do you need me to do Arc?" Following through with her previous decision, an injury like this wasn't one she could allow to stop her from playing her part in taking down this Nevermore.

Jaune hesitated for a moment at her question, she had moved abnormally to face him; he couldn't place it but he knew she wasn't unscathed. He'd hoped to be able to take the brunt of the impact from the Nevermore's feathers, Crocea had done a good job protecting his arm, but he hadn't taken into account the force on her body. Regardless, he needed her help to be able to defeat the Grimm and he knew she'd want to push though it; the look in her eyes from earlier told him as much.

"Ok, we're going to get the thing as close to the ground as we can." Deciding to explain as much as he could in the time before the shadow came overhead for another pass. "When we do, I need you to grab onto some part of it with you ice." Once it was on the ground, they would be able to put their more powerful attacks to use on it.

 _Now for getting it down here_. Jaune turned away from Weiss, she'd come through before with the Deathstalker, he'd trust her to make it work here too. Making his way over to the rest of the students; he'd had some ideas about how to coax the Grimm down to the ground. "Everyone, spread out!" He provided what information he could as soon as he was in earshot.

From what he had seen, the Nevermore didn't tend to attack groups with its talons, likely to avoid having anything grab onto it. With the little information he had, it tended to follow up a feather attack with its talons whenever a target was isolated enough. They'd need to react at the right time to get it as close to the ground as they could before collapsing on it.

Each of them reacted immediately; gaining some distance between each of them and filling the field. They continued to fire on the Grimm, Jaune needed to find a way to draw it to a specific target to make things easier. Pyrrha seemed to know what he was planning, and angled her shield to reflect light into the Nevermore's eyes like he'd done before. In doing so, she'd be able to increase the odds of it singling her out.

The creature came back for another pass, and quickly targeted Pyrrha. Being a skilled and experienced fighter, she avoided the feathers without incident and raised her shield again. The Nevermore banked into a dive headed for the girl in question, Jaune knew now would be their only chance.

"Weiss, now!"


	8. Method Acting

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RWBY. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

 **A/N:** Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night ^_^.

Weiss made to prepare her glyph to bring about more ice in time with the Grimm's attack, she had a hard time aiming her body in such a way as to be able to position the wave of ice for the attack. Her neck pain was causing her to more abnormally, her glyphs required precise sword movement to be able to be executed properly and her abnormal movement pattern was causing her to make mistakes

The Nevermore brought its talons to bare, attempting to sweep through Pyrrha. The girl skillfully dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. However the expected net for the bird didn't materialize, allowing the creature to ascend back into the air. Leaving Jaune to try to recover their position for the next attack.

Weiss stood off to the side lamenting her failed glyph, needing to angle herself in an upward motion to get the proper aim on the fast moving Grimm had proved too much for her abused neck to handle. With her body twitching and unable to balance herself correctly, she'd made enough mistakes in her glyph for it to not produce anything at all, let alone the grasping wave of ice they'd needed.

She was the weak link in this plan, she'd failed to do the job she had been asked to do. If not for her pride, she would have broken down in that moment; no one had expected her to succeed in leaving home for Beacon, and now they'd been right that she wasn't able to overcome such a minor problem. She'd expected her inept partner to be the one to let them all down, but as her shoulder's slumped he was the one running to scold her on her failure.

"Weiss, are you ok?" Jaune had made his way to her as quickly as he could, his face showing a look of concern.

Her emotions again mixed at her own failure and his unwanted pity. Unsure of the best response she could give, she defaulted to making an excuse. "It wasn't close enough to the ground for me to catch it." A lie, if it'd been any closer it would have been on the ground.

In the short time Jaune had been fighting with Weiss, he could tell she was extremely skilled with her use of ice and would have been able to catch the Grimm in it's lowest point. Something was wrong, but she wasn't letting on and he couldn't be sure as to why. Regardless of the reasoning, he'd need to rework his plan.

"Well get that bird on the ground, once it's there keep it on the ground, alright." Hoping that this arrangement might be more suitable to whatever was wrong with her.

Her own mind raced over the new information; he'd discerned that he needed to make a change to the plan, which she found surprising from someone like him. That said, making concessions on her behalf didn't sit well with her. Before she was able to retort that she didn't need his help, the looked on his face struck her.

He wasn't actually asking for her opinion, he was simply telling her what needed to be done. It had been phrased as a question, but there was no question in what she would be doing during this fight. It froze her mind in it's tracks, something was different about him from his usual demeanor, she'd seem a glimpse of it during their fight with the Deathstalker but this held even more intensity than that encounter.

All she could do was give a slight nod of her head, even against the pain she'd been feeling. Jaune in response nodded back and moved to return to the rest of the group. An uneasiness settled into her stomach, as she watched him retreat back to the rest of the students; as if something dangerous was about to happen.

"Alright everyone, we have to set up quick before it circles back on us." Jaune walked back to the group, his heart racing over the severity of the situation. "Pyrrha, you and I will need to draw it in and probably take an attack from it's talons, since we're the only ones with shields."

The girl in gold responded, "We're going to need to pin it down after that, I suggest having Ren and Blake encircle it's legs with her ribbon."

Jaune's mind hitched that Pyrrha had discerned his plan so quickly, making things much easier for him but also surprising him for a moment as her green eyes locked with his. Blinking roughly to clear his mind he went on to explain the rest of the plan.

"Once it's legs are wrapped it should be off balance, we need Nora and Yang to give it a good nudge onto it's belly." Feeling that Yang and Nora could hit it the hardest to put it onto the ground.

Yang gave a gesture with her fist in the air loading her gauntlets, and Nora seemed ecstatic with a grin beaming blindingly back at him. Trusting that the two of them knew what to do and when, he finally turned to the youngest member of the party.

She looked up at him expectantly, her large gray eyes attempting to soften him in light of his stern speech to this point. "Ruby, I need you to keep your distance." Seeing her body slump slightly at this he quickly provided the rest of the plan. "Weiss will pin the Nevermore down once it's on the ground," her eyes drifting downward and away from him. Finally he gave the information she wanted to hear, "Once it's on the ground, I want you to put everything you have into taking that things head off with Crescent Rose, got it?"

He head darted back up in a blur, and she looked at him with ample excitement. "Yes sir!" Giving a mock salute to him with a grin on her face. _Well, once of us is happy about this plan_. Jaune couldn't deny the girl's enthusiasm had a positive effect on the mood of everyone else.

Everyone moved into position spreading out in relation to the angle of attack that the Nevermore was circling into. Leaving Jaune to follow suit, he stood still where he'd been speaking with Ruby.

Jaune kept his brave face as best as he could, needing to keep up with his peers. He'd been doing his best to continue his face of confidence and focus. His mind was wracked with second thoughts, leaving his body feeling uneasy, his sweat running cold around him. It took everything he had to keep himself from visibly shaking with fear, he needed to get his feet moving again.

A hand on his shoulder reminded him of the little time they had, he found the hand's owner to be Pyrrha. He had come up with the plan, and he needed to play his part in it. "Everyone is ready Jaune, let's get it's attention."

"Yeah, let's get started." With that Jaune turned to the area in the middle of all the students, and broke into a jog followed by Pyrrha. Taking the grip of Crocea in his hand, drawing it into his hand and feeling the weight on his abused muscles, he forced himself to raise it in the air one more time.

 _If this doesn't work, Pyrrha and I are gonna be in trouble_. The light reflected off her shield and his sword cut into the bird's eyes, it flared into a mass of black in the sky above him. The reflected sunlight driving into it's shroud and forcing it's attention on them. It's form closing back into a cutting swath of black descended from the sky on the two.

Jaune sheathing his sword, placing his other hand on his forearm to brace his shield. Pyrrha following suit, the shimmering of her armor diminishing as the Grimm's shadow became thicker over them.

Weiss stood a distance away, watching this all unfold. Jaune had arrived before the group and had dispatched each of them on a task, one after the other without hesitation. It reminded her of her father, there was no questioning the plan he had laid out, you did as you were told. That authority is something that always irked her about her father, and seeing it in Jaune made her feel uneasy at the prospect of their future as partners. She'd come to the school in an effort to get away from being told what to do, and she'd been unable to do anything but take her part in the plan without question.

At the same time, seeing him standing still as everyone moved to their positions made her even more confused. It was almost as if he was straining himself to do these things, she wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but in that moment he looked hollow. The moment Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder, his demeanor went back to what it had been before; almost like he was acting and had stepped back into character. Even more confused now than ever, she did her best to prepare for her part of the plan.

The Nevermore reached its target, each shield coming in contact with its own set of talons, they both braced themselves as best they could in absorbing the impact. They're bodies sliding back against the grassy field, giving way to the dirt below, releasing the grass from the ground beneath their feet. Much like the dirt, they're bodies started to release the pressure as they buckled backwards.

However, a thin ribbon of black darted across the legs of the Grimm, originating from Blake's hand, as she pressed in a direction opposite the motion of the bird. It was caught by a similarly raven-haired student Ren, who did the same as Blake attempting to get as much momentum as possible going against the path of the legs that ribbon had pressed against.

It was only slightly, but the pressure on their shields loosened, and the bird's body began to move in a slight downward rotation. It was all they needed to throw it off balance, as Yang and Nora sailed into the air above it. They each drove into the upper back of the Grimm, creating a push and pull effect on its body.

Both Jaune and Pyrrha released their shields from its talons as they now didn't have the same pressure against them, and they rolled out from under the beast. Looking back over the towering bird falling before their combined effort. Even with the plan not fully completed, Jaune couldn't help the euphoric feeling that washed over his body, seeing the unstoppable force coming down to earth.

It's body lurched forward, finally contacting the ground as drifted to the ground. It's talons touched down first, the forward momentum ripping up the field in the wake of its immensely heavy frame, it's body hit the ground all at once causing a huge ripple effect on the ground. The entire area shaking under its weight. A crater forming under it, the downward force from the dive it had been in causing even more of an impact, like dropping a large stone into calm water; it deformed the surface and gave a resounding shockwave cascading outwards.

Weiss had drawn her glyph during this whole ordeal, Jaune having given her as much time as he could by having Pyrrha and himself absorb the initial impact. By drawing out the action of bringing it to the ground it had kept her target in her limited vision with plenty of time to strike. Moving against the ripple of the creature's impact; she let loose her own wave of ice, the field encased before her in a thick sheet. It washed over the crater that had formed and pinned the Grimm in the hole it had dug.

Working together to pin down their captured Grimm, it writhed in an attempt to shake loose from its binds, The final stroke from the youngest member of the party was quick, cutting through its darkness as Ruby propelled herself in a blur of red through it's exposed neck. Crescent Rose, aided by the running attack, slipped through the feathers and removed the head of the Grimm.

With that; it's body began to slowly evaporate into a dark mist before the initiates, they're work scattered to the wind. Finally they could each relax in their own way; Weiss and Jaune falling to their knees spent, Nora tackling Ren to the ground yelling about their victory, Ruby and Yang hugging for a job well done, Blake standing close enough to enjoy the company by not engaging physically, Pyrrha rose to her feet and awaited everyone to recover themselves.

Jaune finally rose to his feet again, looking over the group and smiling at their triumph against such a powerful foe. Giving everyone some time to collect themselves, he made his way over to his partner to see how she was fairing. Reminding himself that she was clearly injured during the fight, he thought it best to check on her.

Coming up on her position, he had a chance to look over her form. Her alabaster skin and white dress was outlined in the emerald grass, her chest slowly rising and falling making her exhaustion evident. Her hair spread out to the side of her head, taking on some of the green of the grass around her. With her eyes closed he could make out a scar across her face; it was almost invisible, only a slight discoloration that could just as easily be mistaken for the shadow of her hair, but it was a straight line vertically across her left eye from forehead to cheek bone.

The scar would be a question for another time, at this moment his focus was on checking on her current health. Kneeling down beside her, he spoke softly in contrast to their rather loud day. "Weiss, are you okay?" He knew the question was a rather shallow one, that would illicit only one response.

"I'm fine, Arc." The statement in itself was a lie, but it let him know she wasn't so injured as to be required to let him know. Having so many sisters helped him be able to know the expected responses she would give. It didn't help him understand her, but at least he had some knowledge of what to expect.

Weiss, wait for a few moments to see if he would stand and leave her alone. However, he didn't seem to be moving, _at least he isn't asking any more dumb questions_. His lack of departure left her in a difficult situation, as she wouldn't be able to easily hide the pain in her neck if she tried to stand on her own. Needing his help wasn't ideal either, she wasn't a damsel for him to save.

Jaune unsure of what to do from here decided to stand and offer her a hand, figuring it was the most courteous thing he could do. Getting to his feet, her eyes finally opened and lock in on his as he looked down at her. Reaching out a hand to her, he decided to try to lighten things with a joke, "M'lady, might I assist you in getting to your feet" _She'll think it's funny, I hope_. Lowering his head to finish the joke.

Weiss' face twisted into a glare at his attempt at humour. He had given her the out she needed to be able to play off her injury, but at the same time had presented her with a situation where she would appear like a princess in need of rescue. It frustrated her to no end to be given such poor options, he'd been courteous enough in offering his hand even if it was in jest. Resignation set into her mind, deciding she could humour him and it would be the best response in light of her peers' childish antics.

"Why, thank you," raising her hand up and placing it in his palm. Keeping her neck stable as she could as he pulled her to her feet. Despite all the fighting they'd been doing, it didn't seem difficult for him to lift her off of the ground. Though, she figured being one of the few male initiates, he'd likely have more brawn than most of the more nimble female candidates. She supposed at least that might come in handy down the road. She tried to keep an eye on her other peers during the fight as well, making mental notes depending on who ended up on her team.

Jaune was surprised to find her so easy to bring to her feet, he figured he'd been so pumped with adrenaline the whole fight that he was probably just not in a position to notice any real strain on his muscles at this point. Weiss didn't look at him once she stood however, instead choosing to look out across the other students, her eyes were hard and discerning. It was as if she was attempting to bore into each of them, dissecting them with her eyes. He felt it best not to interrupt, but they did need to get up onto the cliff-side as soon as they could to avoid any more Grimm.

After a few minutes of standing silently, he decided to finally question Weiss on what they should do next. Figuring now would be a good time to relinquish the reigns of the group to her, since she seemed much better equipped to decide what to do next. _Finally, I can blend in_. "Do you think we should get everyone moving now?"

Weiss winced as she turned her head toward him, pausing for a moment and turning her whole body to face him. Again she found herself being given the role of leadership by her partner without a fight, almost as if he didn't understand the value or prestige of leading such a talented group of hunters-in-training. _Is he a coward?_. She found herself at a loss, trying to ascertain his motives.

As much as she didn't like it, this was a good opportunity for her to take over from him, and at least get everyone up onto the cliff. While it would show some weakness in being given the role, maybe it would diminish Jaune's previous stature and give her a better chance of leading her team. She figured she would already have a handicap in her favour given her background, despite not wanting it, she could at least use it to her advantage.

During Weiss' musing, Jaune had continued to await her response. It hadn't been more than a few moments before another voice came in over her thoughts, causing Jaune to turn away. "Alright everyone, let us make our way along the ruins to the cliff-side." Pyrrha had spoken out to the group, responding to her statement, everyone made their way to the remaining ice bridge and toward the pathway upward.

Weiss stood stunned for a moment, she had neglected to consider anyone other than her partner in her contest over a leadership position. Forgetting this whole time about the other students, namely Pyrrha who she'd viewed as the perfect candidate for a partner. A crushing anxiety fell upon her, what had she done to distinguish herself from her peers. _Besides getting hurt and being a burden_. This had been her chance to step out from the shadow of her family and achieve her own accolades. However, through this whole day, she had only managed to do a passable job at fighting and be led around by some ill-mannered boy.

"Is everything okay, Weiss?" Jaune's question seemed perfectly timed with her thoughts, she held onto the hope that there would be more chances for her to prove herself before the team leader position was selected. She rationalized that it wouldn't make sense to make such a huge decision based on a single day's events.

Ignoring Jaune's question, she began to make her way to the bridge herself to make her way back to the cliff and complete the test. Jaune followed shortly after, choosing to remain silent. The look on her face let him know that she was deep in thought, so he followed close behind to ensure there were no issues with getting back to the cliff, but he knew it best not to try to interrupt at this point. The best he could do was hope that nothing could happen to make it worse.


	9. New Challenges

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RWBY. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

 **A/N:** Sorry for the somewhat late release again, I'll make sure the next chapter comes out earlier like last time to make up for it. I'm always happy to have any sort of feedback, so read and review where you feel it necessary. Anyway, enjoy ^_^.

The teens made their way up the cliff-side without any major incidents, Jaune found himself unable to find any words to break the silence that had set in between he and his partner. Looking at the other pairs ahead of them during their trek upward, he found each of them getting more acquainted with their companion of the next few years. Though each of them were doing so on different levels; Pyrrha mostly listening to Yang talk about her sister and make childish puns, Ruby attempting to convey her admiration for the more conservative but skilled Blake, Ren and Nora seemed to already know each-other and one was talking with the other listening.

Each other pairs seemed to have a listener and a speaker; when looking at Weiss, all Jaune could feel was a suffocating tension. He had enough experience with the women in his family to know that he wouldn't completely understand the girl's feelings on the days events. However, upon reflection, nothing materialized as an obvious blunder on his part that would have led to such an ear-splitting silence between the two of them.

As far as he could tell, he'd done a serviceable job at keeping up with his peers. While he knew he certainly didn't provide much more than a target for their enemies, he hadn't seen any specific situation where he'd been a hindrance. In fact, she'd been the only one who'd been unable to keep up during the final push. _Maybe she'd embarrassed..._

Jaune didn't really know how to approach that kind of topic with someone who was clearly worlds apart from him in skill. There was no way for him to relate to her situation, he didn't know where to start with her semblance. Whenever she used her powers, he could only be in awe of what seemed like magic to his eyes. Jaune had just learned about having an aura earlier in the day, with no experience of what could be wrong, he just felt like he'd make things worse.

She continued to move somewhat awkwardly as they made their way up the cliff-side, he had kept his focus on her whenever he could spare it from the uneven terrain. Her face was flushed, a tinge of pink having invaded her normally ivory cheeks. While her hair remained in her ponytail, it no longer had the same practiced cleanliness, strands of her hair having come loose during all the fighting. The rest of her outfit seemed to have made it through the day unscathed, however as his eyes made their way over her one more time, his eyes came to stick on her usually elegantly postured neck. It seemed to be slightly misshapen, a red colour assaulting the borders of her white skin, as opposed to the pink elsewhere.

Upon further study, she seemed to be favouring her neck as she walked, avoiding moving her head any more than necessary. _She's injured_. A part of Jaune's brain pushed him to immediately question he about the extent of the problem, and offer his assistance. For a moment another side of his mind ascertained that this might be a poor decision in light of his previous deduction about the embarrassment that she was likely feeling. The sudden surge of chivalry that permeated his mind moved both his feet and his mouth to action.

She'd been a few steps behind him, having fallen behind the rest of the group as she attempted to move carefully to avoid causing more pain than she needed to. Keeping her eyes forward and level was difficult when climbing a step cliff-side path, but she was doing her best. The weight of her failure made the climb that much harder, as she did her best to keep her legs moving and carrying her upwards.

Her thoughts were shaken slightly, as was the rest of her body by a familiar voice inquiring about some arbitrary piece of information she was sure. _Hasn't he done enough?_. Turning herself to face her _partner,_ she was returned a look of concern. She searched her mind for a proper response to him, while she was in the back of the group; she'd done a poor job of hiding her condition.

She considered his previous conversations with her to try to find some insight to what he might be thinking. He'd been mostly honest as far as she could tell to his point, even if his actions had been to her detriment in light of her aim to be a team leader. She found herself perplexed on whether or not that was his goal as well; and he was simply trying to come off as having a sunny disposition to make himself more likable, or if he was actually just too dense to understand the consequences of his actions.

Regardless, her anger had subsided and was replaced with an uneasy helplessness; feeling she was at the whims of the faculty on whether or not she'd get another opportunity to prove herself. She wasn't really in the mood to talk with him, her mind finally settled on brushing him off as the best course of action.

Jaune for his part stood a few feet from Weiss, his eyes taking a closer and more detailed look at the swelling that was apparent around her neck. Her smooth skin was marred with red and clearly needed medical attention. However, her eyes seemed unfocused when he approached and his question didn't illicit any more response than her turning her body to regard him. Her eyes continued to look through him for a few moments, until she finally gave him some level of acknowledgment.

"I'm fine."

Her response provided a paltry reprieve from his concern. She was managing to deal with whatever the problem was but, no matter how he looked at it, _she's not fine._ was all that his thoughts could agree on.

Weiss turned from his worried countenance and began to continue onward, only to be stopped by a hand on her arm. Her head snapping to face the hands owner, her own face twisted in response to the pain that cut through her neck. The glare she'd prepared for her partner never made it to its target as a result.

 _Confidence_. Jaune couldn't simply allow her to walk away and try to deal with the injury on her own. He was meant to be her partner, possibly provide any assistance that he could. Seeing her pained expression both solidified his feeling of needing to help, and exacerbated his fear that he'd have no way to do so.

"What do you want, Arc?" He hesitated, needing to come up with some way in which he could help her. Running over his available tools in his mind, he settled on a reasonable idea.

"Could you wait up a moment, I'll be right back?" Again he was requesting more obedience from her. Before she could respond however he was already running back down the path they had just come up. Leaving her in a difficult position, leaving him behind would be satisfying in some devious way, however she had no evidence that he'd intentionally been cruel to her.

After a few minutes of waiting, Weiss began to entertain thoughts of leaving him behind again. She'd not heard any signs of a conflict, so, he was simply taking a long time. Which left her with many more questions as to where he was going or what he was doing. However, her answer was finally gasping his way back up the cliff-side.

He arrived back with an object of some kind wrapped in a cloth that he seemed to have cut off from one of his garments, his undershirt she suspected. Panting and heaving, he clearly had been rushing to return. Judging from what she'd seen, he should have had enough stamina to make a short trip without much trouble, meaning he'd gone quite a ways back down the cliff. Deciding not to dwell on it any longer, she'd get her answer in a moment when he was again able to speak.

Jaune finally took a deep breath and calmed himself down enough to be able to speak to her again without issue. "Here, for your neck, it should help with the swelling." Lifting the object in his hand expectantly at her.

"What is that?" Being the only question that she could come up with, being unsure of what he could have retrieved to help with her neck.

"I went back down and cut some ice off of the bridge you made." Having been most of the way up the cliff-side, Jaune had seemingly run all the way back to where they started and back to where she was now.

Weiss made to respond to him, but found herself at a loss for words. She wanted to be angry at him for going through such lengths for something she could have conjured herself with her semblance, or for even taking the time to try to help when she hadn't asked for it. For some reason however, she wasn't able to come up with the words as he handed it to her.

Unable to really come to terms with the turn of events, Weiss simply placed the makeshift ice-pack against the back of her neck. The cooling surface helped subside the pain, her thoughts however remained much like the ice itself, unable to formulate anything coherent to respond with. Now finding herself feeling embarrassed for no reason that she could recognize, she simply stood waiting for what to do next.

Nodding to her, "You ready to go?"

"Yes, let us go." With that the pair continued up the cliff-side, Jaune a few feet ahead of her. The two settled back into a silence, each of them feeling differently about the lack of conversation however.

* * *

Having ascended the cliff, each of the students were met by Professor Goodwitch and escorted back to the locker rooms. Each of the initiates depositing their equipment in their respective lockers and then being led to the auditorium. There they met up with the other students who had completed the trial before them.

The room bustled with activity, the main floor of the room was filled with students, the newest students who had completed the trial were brought to the front of the main floor area. Still a large group themselves, they were surrounded by the upper year students as well, many of whom were presently seated in the balcony seating as well. The room was even more full than the first time they'd been in it, Jaune looked out over the immense number of other youths. The different crowds stuck him, the diversity of colours blending and shaking. The sunlight came in through the large windows along the walls of the building and it illuminated each and every shade that he could see.

Light conversation permeated the hall; students talking about their time away from Beacon, their plans for the coming semester, all the usual things that he would have expected from students around his age. Knowing what he knew about the perils of their training, he couldn't imagine how they all managed to seem so comfortable with the prospect of more. The murmur of the crowd was silenced by the emergence of Ozpin on the stage, coffee mug in hand, clearing his throat.

The lights dimmed and two large screens were projected overhead, each angled outward to allow the students on the sides of the auditorium to see them more clearly. Jaune found himself becoming nervous at the prospect of those screens showing any excerpts from their fights. While he'd been proud of his ability to instruct the other students, they're talent and prowess in combat far exceeded his own.

Weiss was having similar thoughts, having been finally able to think again after Jaune's previous display of nonsense and having her neck by the school physician. Fearing that if they were going to review the initiation on the screens, her inability to distinguish herself would become apparent to the entire student body.

What actually appeared on the screen only helped ease one of them. Chess pieces appeared, ordered from King to Pawn, and split into Black and White sides. With that now displayed, Ozpin began to speak.

"I would like to congratulate all of out first year students that completed their trial. Regardless of how each of you managed to get your relic and return alive, all of you here had to overcome your own trials to reach where you are now." He paused for a moment, his expression turned slightly downward from the neutral one he'd had a moment ago.

Taking the time to let his words sink in. "Going forward you will all be counted among the students here at Beacon, and will have the responsibility of representing the Kingdom of Vale and protecting it from anything that might threaten its people."

Many of the students around them nodded, or gave some sort of sign of acknowledgment. Jaune found himself beginning to consider the full weight of the situation he'd put himself in. He wanted to come to Beacon to become a Hunter that his family could be proud of and to live up to the honour that his family's history held. It all began to feel a bit juvenile when held up against the headmaster's words.

"However, you cannot accomplish all this alone. Not only are all the students here at Beacon connected through their mutual goal of safety and security for Value, but you will also be connected as team members. Which brings me to the purpose of the relics and this meeting itself."

His words cut deep into Weiss' fears, feeling her skin grow cold and her breath hitch. He was going to assign the teams right now, and the crushing reality that she would not get another chance to convince them of her aptitude as a leader. She had missed her chance, and would now be simply a supporting member of whatever team she found herself on. While this didn't mean she would be completely unable to distinguish herself in the future, it did mean that she had already been set back in her effort to fulfill the level of success expected from a family such as hers.

"When your name appears on the screen, I would like each of you to come onto the stage to be officially formed into a team. Just like your partners, you will be a part of this team for your entire stay here at Beacon."

Upon finishing his statement, the faces of four students appeared on the screen. Each of them arriving on the stage moments later, he went about explaining the piece each of them had picked. Naming the team's leader and providing their teams code name. Jaune found it all a bit surreal, that at some point he would be called onto the stage just like all of the other students that he felt he wasn't in the same league as.

After some time faces that he recognized came onto the screen; Pyrrha, Yang, Ren and Nora from their fight earlier. Seeing each of them on the stage, after having dealt with their abilities first-hand made the feeling that he was out of his depth all the more intense. The only positive he could take from it was that he had made it this far, and there was no turning back now.

Weiss was battling her own fears of what her future would be with how things were shaping up around her. Many talented individuals had already been assigned, and now seeing Pyrrha on stage with her own team made it clear to her that everything she'd planned was now out to reach. A part of her was happy to see so many having already been selected, while she may be placed on a team with other members who were not quite as talented, she had a better chance of being selected as the leader in that situation.

"Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, and Yang Xiao Long, the four of you retreived the White Rook pieces, from this day forward you will work together as team PRNL (Pumpernickel). Lead by Pyrrha Nikos. Congratulations." The crowd of students continued with their applause as they had for each of the other teams, a few more cheers than the norm for the announcement of Pyrrha's name however. Weiss attributing this to her name being one that the student body would recognize.

The board shifted to show the two teens faces, alongside Ruby and Blake's. Indicating that it was their turn to come to the stage. While Weiss had deduced this would be the outcome, she'd been avoiding confirming it in her head until now. Each of them lined up across for their headmaster, doing their best to appear as formal as possible.

Jaune and Ruby both stood rigidly, attempting to come off as being at attention as if this were some sort of military line up. While Weiss and Blake each held a certain amount of poise and were able to appear more refined in their posture.

"And finally, Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, Ruby Rose, and Blake Belladonna, the four of you retrieved the White Knight pieces, from this day forward you will work together as AWBR (Aubretia). Led by Jaune Arc."

Both partners eyes widened at this statement, all the sound in the auditorium drained from their ears as the word set into their minds. _This is a joke, right?_. Each of their thoughts sounded off, unable to comprehend what had happened before them. Being the final team to be named, the auditorium began to drain of students as they were directed to go back to their usual business. Preparing for classes that would begin the next morning.

Jaune and Weiss' mutual confusion was broken with a tackle. More precisely, Jaune was tackled by Ruby who was incoherently babbling something about being so proud of him. Blake stood off to the side of the group simply looking over the aftermath of their team's formation. Weiss looked down with contempt at Jaune who was attempting to extract himself from the younger girl's grasp.

Jaune finally managed to return to his feet, and gave Ruby a smile. She was excited for him, and while he certainly wasn't feeling the same at the prospect of now having even more responsibility placed on him, now wasn't the time to dread over it. He had the rest of the night to do that, for now he would smile and be happy with his friends.

Weiss however wasn't able to shake the negativity as easily. She knew that this could happen, having deduced that this was the team she would end up with. Knowing that Jaune had done the most leading during the initiation out of the four of them. That said, he did not accomplish enough in that time to have placed over her, he was clearly less experienced and ill-equipped for more difficult challenges ahead.

The team made their way out of the auditorium like many of their peers and followed to the bulletin board to find out their room assignments. The blue eyed pair continued to be a slight daze as they approached, finding their room to be on the third floor in the first year dormitory. Being told that counting from the end of the hallway; it was the third room on the left, left them a bit confused as to why this was the instructions given to them.

Upon entering the building, they came to terms with the fact that the Academy had neglected to actually number the rooms in any obvious manner. The only indication Weiss could surmise was that their scrolls would only open their own door when scanned against the door lock beside it.

What greeted them didn't sit well with some of the members of the team. The room itself was a fairly large dorm with it's own separate bathroom on the left side of the room. There were several shelves along the walls, and different bookcases around the beds. This however led to a rather distinct issue with the room, the four beds lined up against the back wall of the room.

The walls were a plain off-white colour split with a wooden chair railing along all the walls, below the railing was a darker pewter colour with a baseboard coloured the same as the chair railing. . Opposite the door was a large square window about 5 feet in size centered and starting just above the chair railing. The window had a crimson curtain that covered the full length of the window and could be slid along the rod that was at the top of the window. Above the window was a lunette with a half-moon window in it that accented the otherwise plain square window. Beneath the window was a small bookshelf that had two rows of space.

Flanking the window on either side were two evenly spaced out single beds, featuring simple wooden bed-frames. Each of the beds had a single pillow, a white fitted sheet, a single white sheet and a red blanket.

Against the wall opposite the window were two simple wooden desks each about 6 feet wide., with a single chair. Above the desk were three shelves each about as wide as the desk itself. Two identical sets of desks and shelves were against the wall perpendicular to the first two.

While Jaune and Blake went about examining the room, and placing their luggage off to the sides to make room for the evening. Ruby and Weiss stood stark still reviewing the sight before them. Ruby being the younger of the two was lost in her own insecurity over the thought of rooming in an entirely open space with a boy of similar age to herself. Jaune in particular made this a bit difficult for the young reaper.

Weiss was not as innocent in her feelings, and found herself distinctly angry about this arrangement. Already she didn't feel particularly comfortable with the idea of being partnered with Jaune for the remainder of her school life, but the thought of potentially sleeping beside him made it all even harder to stomach. Knowing him for only a day so far, and now to be put in a position like this.

"Wait." She needed time to consider her options before they continued with setting up the room as they saw fit.

Jaune turned inquisitively toward her, "What's up, Weiss?" As if he hadn't begun to sense the magnitude of the situation he was in. Weiss figured he probably just enjoyed the thought of having a room with three young women. Which made her all the more angry to consider his thought process on the matter.

Jaune was unsure of what might be wrong with her; having come from a family of 8 children, 7 sisters and himself, he was rather used to a cramped living space such as this. Though thinking of what he knew about Weiss, and the wealth she came from, this was probably a rather small room for her to have to live with three others. He waited to see her response in light of this, figuring she'd want to talk about a better way to organize things.

"I am not sleeping a few feet away from you." Finally managing to get the words out, "I fear to consider what you might do to me in my weakened state." Looking to Ruby for support on this matter, as she'd seen the girl also considering the implications of these sleeping arrangements. The younger girl wasn't as helpful as she would have liked however, choosing instead to simply look down at her boots bashfully.

"What, I would never do something like that." Jaune was stunned by the somewhat sudden accusation, unsure of how to properly handle this line of thought. Not having really thought further about what this would mean, it left him in a difficult position as thoughts of the beautiful young women around him sleeping just a few feet away ran across his consciousness. A slight blush settled into his face as his thoughts turned for the worse.

Weiss seeing his unsure response decided to press him further. "Your thinking weird things now too, just like I thought." Taking a step toward him, she looked over to the final member of the team expectantly. No other words came to her aid however, she continued on her own as a result. "We need to come up with some other arrangement, I won't stand for things how they are."

Jaune's eyes followed Weiss' as she looked over to Blake for support, finding her to be neutral on the matter did not provide him with more comfort. Shaking his head in an attempt to knock loose the thoughts that he had latched onto a moment ago. "I don't really know what you want us to do, the room isn't that big."

Sensing from Weiss' face, this was not the right answer. The anger in her expression intensified, her skin beginning to tint toward a more furious scarlet. As she made to unleash some scathing words upon the dunce that stood before her, a quite voice shielded him from her wrath. "I'll sleep in the bed next to him."

Both sides of the argument slowly turned their heads back to the amber eyes that looked back at them. Blake looked upon with a stoic face, but both of them could feel the disdain that it held for their argument. She seemed angry with one or both of them, Jaune for his part was unsure about her readiness to step into the conflict and dissolve it by taking the simplest out available.

Weiss stood shocked that things had turned out in such a way, but couldn't be angry any further, as her problem had been resolved. Without needing to come up with a more complicated solution, she would simply allow the most willing girl to sleep beside him and deal with him accordingly.

Ruby had made her way over to the far side of the room, and began to place her things on the bed along the right side wall. Leaving Weiss with the bed on the right side of the window, and Jaune against the left wall with Blake beside him on the left side of the window. Quietly each of the teens disengaged from one another and set about taking their personal effects and placing them in their own section of the room.

The day was long over; and with the room having grown only darker as they went about settling into their new arrangement, they each settled on not unpacking until the next day. After all the fighting they'd been through, each of them settled on turning in for the night. Upon each of them beginning to extract their sleepwear from their bags, three sets of eyes zeroed in on Jaune.

Feeling their gaze burn into him, he didn't even need to think about what it meant. Gathering his things he stood and walked over to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He leaned back into the door and slide down to the floor. The intensity in the room, and having to live with the three very different but all equally deadly girl wasn't something he was sure he would be able to handle.

Eventually he managed to bring himself to his feet, and dress himself in a new undershirt having torn his previous one to make the ice-pack for Weiss and some loose boxer shorts. Figuring this would be a better option to the colourful onesies he'd been given besides that. When he felt enough time had passed he exited the bathroom to find each of the girls having already settled into their beds.

Quietly he made his way to his own, depositing his clothes beside his bag for laundry later. Lifting the sheets and sliding into bed he found himself staring at another unfamiliar ceiling, his exhaustion beginning to catch up with him before he could become too anxious about the thought of the future. The committed the sight to his memory at the very least, hoping he'd be able to make it a more comforting view in the future.


	10. Versions of Yourself

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RWBY. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

The morning came all too soon for the team, being awoken by a rather enthused Ruby shaking with excitement. Both Weiss and Blake found themselves rudely awakened by the sound of a whistle and the cheering of Ruby stating that they needed to get started with their first day of classes. While it had been an unspoken agreement that the team would get up a bit earlier than necessary to finish unpacking and establish some level of routine, the two older girls hadn't accounted for the unlimited energy of their fourth team member.

Despite the excessive noise Jaune still managed to awaken comparatively smoothly, rubbing his eyes a bit and stretching in an attempt to alleviate some of his tension. Looking over the view before him however had him transitioning from his slumber into laughter. He found Ruby dressed in her school uniform being held on the ground by Blake in her sleepwear from the previous night and Weiss similarly in her sleepwear was wrestling the whistle from the pinned girl's hands.

Six eyes turned their focus onto their team leader, the entire situation wasn't ideal for him to enter by laughing at them. As four of the eyes narrowed Jaune knew he'd need to act fast, glancing away for only a moment to acknowledge that laying on top of his luggage was the school uniform that he'd been given on the previous day. Moving quickly he jumped from his bed and dove for his clothes, as Weiss tried to dive after him in her anger one of her legs was pulled out from under her.

"Run Jaune, I'll hold them off!" The cliché line followed him as he slammed the door to the bathroom behind him. Thankful for the assistance of his first school friend, he locked the door. _I sure hope hiding in here doesn't become a trend_.

Resolving to shower and get dressed as slowly as possible to allow for things to calm down outside, he could hear more struggling and the yelling from several different feminine voices. Removing his sleepwear gingerly, his soreness finally catching up to him now that the previous days excitement had subsided. Looking over himself in the mirror; his skin was marred with several bruises, the most prominent of which was around the shoulder he'd dislocated.

Thinking back to the ordeal of getting Weiss to relocate his injury brought back so many of the frantic emotions from the day, the thought of her pressed against his chest when the two of them fell however was a very different emotion from the rest of the day. He let out a deep sigh at the embarrassment that she must have felt from the ordeal, she'd also been mad throughout the rest of the day but the trigger eluded him. Resolving to move forward he stepping into his shower.

A few minutes later he'd dried himself off and moved on to getting dressed. Looking over his uniform he removed it from the zipped bag and hanger it had been provided on. It was a relatively simple outfit consisting of black slacks, a white dress shirt, a blue sweater-vest, a plain red tie, and a blazer. The blazer had a bit more detailing than the rest of the outfit; featuring a golden trim along the whole outfit, as well as shoulder flaps which implied the Academy's connection on some level to the military more than academia.

Deciding he'd waiting long enough that things should have calmed down outside. Looking at himself in the mirror, he noticed it all fit him fairly well. This version of himself would be one he would be seeing a lot of; at the very least he looked the part. He tried his best not to get bogged down in thoughts of the previous day. _Team Leader, how did I mess up this badly_. However, his lamenting was cut short by a knock at the door followed by a familiar angry voice, "Hurry up in there Arc, the rest of us have a day ahead of us too." Another deep sigh escaped his lips, he gathered up his things and made his way out of the room.

The face that greeted him was the same face he'd seen several times the previous day, her mouth was in a line as usually was, she wasn't one to emote with her mouth or cheeks for the most part. However her eyes told him quite a bit about the mood he was facing, they were narrowed and focused entirely on his own. They didn't convey anger specifically, it felt like a much deeper revilement that didn't suit something as mundane as being in the bathroom for too long. Before he could really question her however, she pushed him aside and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her stiffly.

Unsure of how to respond, Jaune decided to set about unpacking his belongings and placing them in whatever shelf space the girls had left for him. A relatively meager area in light of the number of books, trinkets, picture frames, and other boxes that had taken up the majority of the space available. It suited him however, as he hadn't brought much beyond his clothing; having left a bit of a hurry. Setting out a wide picture frame that featured himself and his large family, and a few fantasy novels and comic books that he'd brought with him just in case.

Deciding that he'd set out everything he needed, he'd been given the desk nearest to the bathroom, his textbooks and a set of writing tools were also set out on the table. The school having provided all the generic pens, pencils, and paper they might require while working on any assignments. While their scrolls also worked as portable computers and most of work could be completed without actually writing anything down, he figured some students might prefer a more tactile experience.

Nodding that everything was as he'd need it, he turned to look over the rest of the room, each of the girls having taken up whatever space they needed for their own plethora of things and personal work materials.

Ruby's area featuring several more stuffed animals and what he surmised was the sheet originally intended for her bed hanging above her bed from the ceiling. It provided significant cover from being seen from the rest of the room, but did look a bit like a child's blanket fort. Given her younger mind-set from the rest of the team, he felt it was a reasonable idea to not question her actions. Her desk was featured several pictures of herself and her sister, along with a colourful assortment of writing implements

Weiss' desk and bed were both in immaculate condition, leaving him to question if she had even slept in it. All of her books were aligned meticulously, with her desk arranged in much the same way. He spied a picture frame of herself and an older woman, he assumed was either her mother or an older sister. However, nothing to indicate the rest of her family, beyond the branded writing materials that seemed to be from the Schnee Dust Company.

Finally settling on the region of the room nearest him, Blake had many of her own books, but no pictures of a family, and not much in the way of work materials beyond the ones that the school provided. Considering her quiet nature, he felt it best not to press on the matter; however it didn't take a leap of thought to surmise she was coming from a background that lacked in love, money, or both.

Each of the girls took their turns preparing themselves for the day, each changing into their own school uniforms. Their costumes appearing to draw more influence from a student background than his own; having a red plaid skirt, a white dress shirt with a black rimmed collar, a small red ribbon tied in a bow along the collar as well, a brown vest, and a black jacket with a tan trim. Each of the girls still retained some elements of their usual outfits, Blake with her bow, Weiss with her hair clip, and Ruby retaining her red cloak. Both Blake and Weiss also seemed to wear tall black socks, as opposed to the black stocking that Ruby had decided on.

Deciding he'd spent enough time examining his female team-mates, Jaune decided it best to move along to something else, before he risked making any of them angry at him for staring. Looking at his watch under his left sleeve, he noted that it was 8:50am. In light of all that had happened this morning he noticed they had finished unpacking a bit later than he had planned. Pulling his scroll from it's holster on his belt, and opening his schedule he noted that their first class was with a Professor Port at 9am.

In the brief moment he'd taken to compile the information he'd just acquired, Weiss had noticed his actions and done the same. Seeing her copying him, his eyes locked with her in the moment she looked up. Her irises were smaller than normal, and her mouth opened slightly as if a realization had dawned on her. As he also pieced together their lapse in time management, her voice finally kicked in. "We have ten minutes to make it to class, you dolts." The statement featured a rather raised voice for the heiress, as well as an accompanying crack at it's peak.

The entire team stilled for a moment, taking in the magnitude of the situation before a blur of red, black, and white warped out their doorway leaving their leader behind. Jaune took a moment to blink at the turn of events, having been the first one to have a chance to get ready in the morning. He'd been so worried about succeeding as a leader that he had forgotten something as simple as paying attention to the time of day. Shaking his head, he tried to push away more of his self-conscious feelings and keep himself focused on the task at hand. _Confidence_. The more the word became his mantra, the more he annoyed himself by having to remind himself about it.

Deciding he'd dallied long enough, he broke into a run out of the room and toward the lecture hall for team AWBR's first class. On the way he did have time to consider the merits of a Grimm studies class, figuring some extra information about their anatomy and attack patterns would prove helpful for his future planning. Having something to look forward to helped him on his way, deciding it would be a good start in catching up to his peers, at least in theory.

* * *

Weiss' glare, eyes glimmering with a certain intense blue heat trained into his own visage. They seemed to distort and refract as he gazed into them, with each passing moment it became harder to see them clearly. Something about the light within them held an immense curiosity in his mind, bringing about questions of where she found that intensity and what it was that had aimed it at himself.

His musing was broken just a moment later by a male and somewhat elderly man clearing his throat, before continuing on a long and indiscernible tangent about his previous experiences with the Grimm and his expeditions in the past. He'd dozed off while trying to decipher any usable information about Grimm he could, his original hopes for the class dashed shortly after the lecture began.

He attempted to clear the sleep from his eyes, rubbing them with his knuckles and looking about the class to see how the rest of the students were fairing. Team PRNY seemed to have a bit of a spread; with Pyrrha taking notes intently, Yang asleep, and Nora also writing in her own notebook followed by showing whatever she'd made to Ren and giggling, Ren for his part seemed to remain stoic in the face of whatever doodling she'd formulated.

Looking at his own team, a similar dynamic had appeared with Ruby sleeping, Blake reading a book that she had placed onto of her notebook, and Weiss with her pen actually on her notebook. His partner however had a different task in mind, when his eyes finally rested on her face, his dream wrenched back into his mind as that same glare settled on his form again. While he hadn't been sure why she was angry in the past, it didn't take him much to piece together that she didn't take well to her team leader sleeping in their first class.

Before Jaune could offer her an apologetic smile, in a vain hope of shaking off some of the uncomfortable feeling of pressure he'd now had on his shoulders, the previously ignored lecture took a turn for the personal. The voice intonated an offer for a specific student to join him on stage in front of the class. Weiss' expression immediately turned into what she hoped was a cheerful looking smile, and she raised her hand determined to prove herself in front of her peers by completing whatever task the Professor required.

She had spent much of the night seething over the injustice of the situation she found herself in, and the morning's antics didn't provide her with any solace. Being stuck on a team with a child who's rambunctious way of waking them all in the morning did nothing to improve her mood. To then have their 'team leader' rush away without taking responsibility for the girl's actions, he then took quite a bit longer than necessary readying himself which only drew more of her ire. She just couldn't understand what everyone was seeing in that dolt's behavior to warrant all the recognition he'd been getting.

Even Blake, the only girl her own age on the team, had sided with him; choosing to take the place beside him in the room. Being willing to have her desk, and worse yet her bed next to his, it gave her a chill to think of what could have been going through his mind while they slept just a few feet away. She'd been so caught up in her suddenly growing negative image of the boy that she almost didn't notice when the professor actually picked her for the demonstration.

"You there miss, get changed into your combat gear and come to the stage as soon as possible." His finger pointing very obviously in her direction, she stood gracefully and nodded to the teacher.

"Yes sir, I will be back in just a moment." She stepped out of the room, exiting from the door on the lower part of the room and making the short walk to their locker rooms. All the while continuing to find herself deep in thought about ways she might improve the situation she found herself in, short of finding a way to have Jaune expelled from the school, there weren't really any opportunities for her to be able to take over the role. She'd taken some time to read up on the school's rule and regulation in the prior evening and found that their entire four year stay would be in the teams they were assigned, and beyond expulsion or death there were no ways for that to change.

The fact that the rule book had specified death as a possible reason for team re-arrangements was a sobering thought. While she knew the dangers of studying to become a huntress, the very real idea of another student dying during their stay wasn't something had truly given much thought before the words were place before her. As much as she had seethed about the outcome of their initiation, she had to admit to herself that Jaune had never done anything with a targeted animosity toward her. A chill ran down her spine at the possibility that she would have to take over as the teams leader in the unfortunate event of his demise.

Shaking her head to try to remove the encroaching anxiety, she looked up at the mirror in her locker to note that she had completed dressing in her battle attire. Giving a huff at the image before her, the short and frail looking girl that huffed back at her wasn't an encouraging sight. Her eyes betrayed the time she'd been kept up in the evening by her failures, the wrinkles under her eyes bringing all the more attention to the discoloration of the scar over her eyes. A pang of melancholy resounded through her body, as thoughts of its origin ran through her.

A buzz against her hip brought her back just far enough for her to be shaken back into the present, looking down at the scroll holstered on her waist. The face of a one Ruby Rose was present staring back at her; only an image however, for that she was grateful, as she looked at the message attached. 'Please hurry up, Prof. Port is about to start on another one of his stories again O_o'. Taking a moment to consider how or why the girl had her scroll number, she decided it best not to try to make a fuss over as she was already taking too long.

Weiss hurried back to the classroom, noting that there were still at least ten minutes left for them to finish whatever practical demonstration that she needed to do. As she arrived at the door, she noted that Port was speaking very animatedly to the class about a den of Beowolves he'd cleared in his youth. She considered waiting for him to finish before she simply stepped into the room, but after a brief moment of considering the man's prior ramblings she decided to interrupt.

Stepping into the room, the man's story died on his lips as he turned to the girl and instantly changed the subject. "Ah, Miss Schnee, we can begin the show I had prepared for the first day." His eyes twinkling in a way she found rather unsettling, while most older men staring at her with a look like that would have set off different alarm bells, this situation made her uncomfortable for a different reason. Said reason coming in the form of a large cage that had appeared in the room during her absence, one which her professor was now approaching with his axe brandished ready to open the door.

The whole class room seemed to quiet and stare intently as the scene unfolded before them, said silence was short-lived however as the voice of Ruby cut through. "Go, Weiss," the words were spoken as a cheer, Blake as well gave her a smile when her head snapped to regard the sudden noise. Her team leader gave her a wry smile himself, his eyes averting under her gaze however, causing her previous anger to well up again at his cowardice.

In that instant however another voice drew her attention, "Alright, let the match. Begin." As the final word was spoken the aforementioned axe sliced the door open and released a heavily armored Grimm, it was about four feet tall, and covered in bone-like protrusions. Two large tusks adorned its face, sitting above a large mouth filled with teeth. The creature stood on four legs, and used them to move quickly, a fact that became apparent almost instantly.

The Grimm led out a squeal as it rushed forward from the cage at her, brandishing its tusks in an attempt to impale her exposed abdomen. In response Weiss quickly dove to the side of the creature, landing to her leg and rolling back to her feet before readying Myrtenaster. She regarded the creature a bit closer and recognized it as a 'Boarbatusk', a medium-sized version of that variety of Grimm. While its body seemed to be heavily covered in a protective shell, its facial area most prominently, the underside of the creature's body was mostly exposed jet fur.

It prepared itself for a charge once again, forcing Weiss into action. She didn't have an effective way to get the Grimm off of its feet, so, she figured she could try to find a weak point between the armor plated body, as some gaps were visibly apparent. With a burst of speed both she and the Boarbatusk closed the distance between them, shifting her weight from one side to the other, she leaned to her right side turning her body sideways. With her rapier in front of her, she attempted to deflect the tusks and stab at the creature in passing, however it shifted the angle of attack and the tip of Myrtenaster's blade was caught on the inside of the tusks and angled in such a way to get caught between the two.

Her instinctive reaction to grip the hilt tightly and pull to free her sword from the locked position was the wrong one, as the creature bucked and lifted her off of her feet almost throwing her across the room. She held fast to the hilt, and managed to land back down on her feet, however the extreme difference in weight meant she stood no change in a tug-of-war with the Grimm. A voice cut through her focus, "Come on Weiss, show it who's boss". Another cheer from the juvenile member of her team threw more fuel onto the fire of frustration she was now kindling. In the brief moment that she took to regard the sudden intrusion, her grip loosened and the boar-Grimm threw it from her grasp and across the battleground.

The Grimm bucked its hind legs, and swiped at her. The tusks narrowly avoiding puncturing her body and instead they sent her skyward away from the monster as well as her weapon. "Oh ho, what will you do without your weapon." A rhetorical question from the teacher behind her followed her blunder, and threw her focus off further. She looked up quickly to the sound of hooves on concrete, tusks again bearing down on her.

Reacting as quickly as possible she rolled to her side out of the way of the attack, luckily for her; the Boarbatusk's ability to change direction while at full speed was lacking. She broke into a run and slide for Myrtenaster as she crossed the room, creating as much space as she could between her and the Grimm. Not having time to formulate much of a plan, she prepared her rapier for another attack and hoped to out-maneuver the creature.

As if sensing her uncertainty, her enemy jumped into the air and curled its body into a ball. Somehow creating a substantial amount of forward rotation during this action, enough that it began to spin along its spine at an intensely high speed. She knew that it would be coming at her much faster this time, in light of this development which left her with little ideas for how to avoid and counter-attack. Before a yell carried a different voice into her ears, "It's off its feet, stop it and attack now." The words weren't much in the way of a plan, but they triggered enough in her mind for her to react in a way that would win the fight.

She quickly orchestrated her hand movements to make two glyphs that would act as platforms for only a moment, it would take most of her aura to absorb the impact that was coming, but if she did it right she would only need the one time. One glyph appeared as a wall in front of her, the other at a fourty-five degree angle above her head, the moment they appeared the Grimm stuck. Accelerating forward immensely, but Weiss held firm in her plan, the Grimm's body impacted the glyph in front of her causing a huge drain on her aura but stopping its movement. She leapt into a back-flip and propelled herself off of the glyph above her in the moment that the boar-grimm's stomach was exposed, driving Myrtenaster deep into it, releasing a whimper and leaving the creature dead.

She leaned forward onto her blade and open palm, panting with exertion over the intense glyph work she had just performed. Attempting to catch her breath, she looked back into the crowd to find where the last yell had originated from, seeing her partner looking on with a worried expression the understanding set into her. He'd helped her again, in front of the entire class that she had hoped to leave an impression upon with a display of skill. No matter what the venue, she couldn't help but feel as though she was finding more and more ways to be seen as relying on his quick thinking.

A part of her mind knew that after all the things he'd done, she would have to thank him else she risk what dignity she had left in seeming ungrateful. However knowing that she'd come to Beacon to be able to stand on her own two feet, without the assistance of her family or another else; the whole situation left her with a bad taste in her mouth. The professor indicated that the lesson was over, and each of the students began to file out of the classroom. Her team waited a moment longer, Ruby to cheer her support, Jaune and Weiss to try to communicate non-verbally to one another in languages their opposite didn't understand, and Blake to watch the whole scene and contemplate the implications of it all.


	11. Seeking Help

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RWBY. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

 **A/N:** The next chapter will also be released later today ^_^. Sorry for the later response, I'm writing both chapters at the same time. Things have also been a bit busy on my end lately, but regardless.

Thanks so much for the 100 favorites. I'll put a proper thank you at the end of the next chapter, without further delay. Enjoy

* * *

The team eventually managed to separate from the confusion that had settled over them when Professor Port eventually cleared his throat noticing their stillness. The team quickly gathered their things and made their way out of the room, splitting up and heading onto their own specific projects and classes. Weiss decided to stay back, in an effort to clear her mind of the circumstances from her prior fight.

Seeing Port leaving his classroom to lock up, she felt it might be a good opportunity to speak with him about the team assignments and express some of her apprehension over her future in the current arrangement. Drawing from her background she felt it would be a good idea to approach a figure of authority to get some insight into how to best handle the situation. While she'd come here to distance herself from her past, it still held some weight in the decisions she felt would be best. Choosing not to acknowledge the hypocrisy of what she was doing, she cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Oh, ." Port turned abruptly, implying it hadn't noticed her approach. He seemed occupied with something else being on his mind, but she didn't dwell on it for too long. He was a professor, and thus should be available in times like these. "How might I be able to help you today?"

His question was the one she was looking for, and giving some thought for how to begin the conversation she decided not to rush into the subject for fear of sounding whiny. "Well, Professor, I wanted to speak with you about some concerns I've had since arriving." She figured starting vague and possibly approaching a few minor topics would be a simple way to ease into the subject of team leaders.

The professor put on a look of consternation, seeming to have not expected such a serious conversation. Weiss wasn't quite sure how to respond to him, given the atrociously abrupt situation that she had been put in during the previous class. Whilst it wasn't something she would have been able to handle under normal circumstances, doing it so shortly after their initiation seemed to be a bit much. Taking a breath to re-focus herself, she set forth with her available subjects.

"My first problem has been with the sleeping arrangements, having a boy in the room in so close proximity to my own sleeping space leaves me rather uncomfortable." While this wasn't the most major issue, she felt it was also a concern that should be addressed, his expression hardened at her comments. Weiss felt a bit off balance at his less than favorable response.

He took a moment to clear his throat in a manner that seemed a bit too theatrical than necessary, "I understand your concerns, however , teams will be sent to into different environments and circumstances that will require them to be in close quarters for significant amounts of time." He began to turn away from her, "as a result it isn't a negotiable aspect of student life."

His immediate shut down of her question left her stunned for just long enough that she would have felt embarrassed to try to chase him down again. It didn't occur to her that he would have had such a prepared or rehearsed response, but thinking on it she knew this must have been a subject that had come up before. As a result she felt even more frustrated with not being able to bring up her feeling on the mistake that was the arrangement of team AWBR.

Her head dipped in defeat, and she let out a long sigh; this day wasn't getting any better for her. Having it appear as though she'd been saved by Jaune again, and being shut down in her attempt to have any of her problems fixed left her at a loss. Looking down at her scroll, she knew she had some time to kill and made her way back to the dorms in hopes of being left alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Jaune parted from his team, each of them going about their own business before heading their own classes, Weiss having a free period she seemed to be speaking with Professor Port. This left him alone to his thoughts and fears. Some of the pressure finally seeping back into his mind, he'd been trying to push it off by focusing on the days events. The look Weiss had given him after he had shouted out his guidance on the fight shook his resolve considerably, he had only wanted to help, but it seemed like it was the worst thing he could have done.

He was left at a loss, still questioning what he should do as a leader. He didn't know the first thing about managing a team, he barely knew how to be social with people let alone command them. Asking for help now, so soon after taking on the role would make people question his abilities even more than they already would. The only thought that made sense to him was that his peers had come from schools in which this type of situation was taught and thus he should be equipped to deal with it. To seek help from his peers or a teacher would make his background come into question, and he didn't have the answers needed to construct a real alibi.

Sitting down on one of the fields outside the cafeteria, he found a relatively secluded place to put his head in his hands and attempt to think about where to go from here. His family had seen him off with smiles, but part of him knew that deep down they didn't expect him to succeed. He'd never given them any indication of being worthy of the position he now had at a prestigious school, but they didn't question him when he got in. His ancestors had always been men of accomplishments, famous warriors and leaders that were deserving of praise. Looking back on them now, he didn't even know where to begin.

He'd always heard and read stories of their exploits; the overwhelming odds they had faced, the famous heroes and heroines who had followed them into battle and respected their leadership. What they didn't tell him was how to get there, just that he should exemplify these characteristics. He tried to mull over what he might have done wrong to this point, what little he did know was that so far the planning and orders he'd given had resulted in victory. Thinking on it further however, he wasn't sure if that was due to the skill of his peers or the plan itself.

He was broken from his thoughts at the sound of sipping, and looked up to find a tall older man in a black suit standing over him. Their headmaster, Ozpin, was looking down at him with eyes that he couldn't quite discern. He stood considerably taller than Jaune himself, wearing an unbuttoned suit jacket over a buttoned up black vest, and black slacks. Around his neck was a deep green scarf, with a small cross that had a purple gem on it. He looked down at him through his small shaded glasses while holding a mug of what he assumed was coffee to his lips.

Jaune's eyes opened wide at the fear that he might have missed a question from him and he got to his feet abruptly. "Yes sir?" Unsure of the proper way to address him, he felt himself heat up with embarrassment at the situation.

"What might be troubling you, young man?" Ozpin's voice was neutral as possible, not betraying any per-conceptions about the situation.

Jaune cleared his throat, in an attempt to buy himself some time to come up with a reasonable excuse for what clearly looked like a troubled youth. Which was truthfully the case, but he didn't want Ozpin to be aware of it. "Nothing important sir, just thinking of home."

The mug moved away from the headmaster's mouth, leaving him with a sufficiently wise expression. "Many of our students often feel unsure shortly after arriving, but they often find that after giving their team some time they are able to find new family away from home." His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was testing the boy's resolve.

"I guess I haven't had the time to feel that way yet," Jaune's hand came up behind his head and scratched at his hair nervously. It didn't take him much to figure out that Ozpin had seen through him.

"It is difficult at first, to be willing to give bonds the time to develop. As a leader though, Jaune, it is part of your role to facilitate that growth." The headmaster immediately striking at the heart of the problem.

Deciding that it was clear he wouldn't be able to deceive him, Jaune gave in to asking for help. Something about the way the man spoke, made him feel that there wasn't anything he could say that Ozpin wouldn't already know about. "I just don't really know where to begin, I feel like I have so many things I should be doing though, but I don't know what those things are."

Ozpin took another sip of his coffee, his eyes continued to be locked on his student. As if he was considering what to say, or how much guidance to provide. When he did eventually speak, his voice was a bit softer than before. "Being a leader is a simple role, with complicated implications." Pausing for a moment, "I cannot tell you what it means to be a good leader for your team, but what I can say is that leaders are defined by their actions above all else"

Jaune took a moment to consider his words, cryptic as they were. It wasn't much in the way of advice, but he couldn't help feeling that he'd gained some extra insight as to what to do. Deciding to continue with the day rather to continue to mull over the situation, "Thank you Headmaster, I appreciate the talk".

The older man gave him a knowing smile, and turned away from the boy. Ever bit of his mannerisms implied that he had the answers Jaune sought, but didn't seem inclined to divulge them. Jaune resolved to head back to his dorm, and consider what he should do to try to figure out more about his team and the dynamic that would work for them. _Actions_ , a new mantra to add to his psyche.

* * *

The door to the dorm opened, leaving the heiress startled for a moment before she let out a sigh in resignation. She had only arrived in the room a few minute prior and had a chance to put away her class things before losing any precious time to herself. Prior to the intrusion, she had sat at her desk, her head resting on the surface; finally able to give in to poor posture for a few moments.

Ruby and Blake entered the room, Ruby hanging her arms in exhaustion, while her partner glided her way across the room. Each of the girls putting away their things in similar manners, and setting about their tasks for the day. Ruby began rummaging around in her bags, in search of what Weiss soon learned would be a bag of cookies and Blake settled into her bed with a unmarked black book. _Still quiet enough to think I suppose_.

Returning to her proper posture the moment they entered, she took out a notebook to make it seem as though she was doing some amount of work. Jaune had saved her, and provided orders on several occasions now; which had put her in a difficult position of seeming to be ill-equipped for the challenges ahead. While she was confident that in the long term; she would be able to over-come these initial incidents with her acumen, she didn't like the idea that her own partner was the one that was benefiting from these incidents.

At the same time, she was at a loss for his intentions in acting this way. He had never given her any indication that he was intentionally competing with her, his actions on the cliff-side to bring her some ice stuck with her in that respect. She had come across many men in her life that could accomplish very elaborate schemes that on the surface appeared as sincerity. She was quite a good judge of that type of character, and Jaune never truly gave her that impression. Letting out a quiet sigh, she wracked her brain for a proper reaction to this new situation; she hadn't expected to be so lacking in experience for how to handle her partner.

A shadow settled over her peripheral vision, Weiss felt a sense of dread that she might be falling into a hole of uncertainty over what to do next. She had intended to come to the school and hit the ground running on her classes and her social standing so that she could amass accolades that her family wouldn't be able to ignore. However, now she felt stuck on the first and most prominent social connection she would have over the next four years. In the moment the shadow shifted, and Weiss turned her head to find Ruby leaning over her shoulder to get a glimpse of her notebook.

The page itself had some non-sense written on it, no actual coherent sentences or thoughts had made it from her mind to her pen. Weiss' eyes widened and she nearly fell from her chair, letting out a yelp as it happened. "What are you doing?" Her voice laced with rage at the invasion of her personal space.

The younger girl jumped in fear as well, possibly from Weiss' fall or her voice, letting out a girly eep as she sailed across the room and behind her own bed. "I was just wondering what you were working on, since we didn't have any assignments yet." The statement was a valid one and an issue that Weiss had not considered when she selected the action as a means to hide her thinking.

"You shouldn't be reading over someone's shoulder anyway, don't you have any common sense?" Weiss wouldn't hold back though, if she had been writing something important she would have wanted some level of privacy. Her living situation would make such things difficult, so, setting these boundaries early would be necessary.

Ruby retreated further behind her bed, only the top of her head and her eyes were left visible; "I'm sorry, I was just curious." Taking a moment to pause under the icy glare of the heiress, she settled into a pleading look. Her eyes watering slightly, her face becoming softer under the girl's assault.

Weiss began to falter against the puppy-dog look of the smaller girl, before she could try to resolve the situation with some level of resigned apology the door opened again behind her. She turned to find her team leader entering the room, the door had deposited him directly behind her forcing her to look steeply upward at him. Even in her heels he stood considerably taller than her, and in that moment the situation made her feel as if she'd been caught doing something wrong.

The room was silent, Jaune considered what he found before him. Blake sitting on her bed reading, while Ruby was hiding behind her bed and Weiss was standing completely still looking up at him from a few inches away. He cough nervously, this hadn't really been what he planned when he decided he wanted to try talking to the team to get to know them a bit better. "Um, Hi?" Was the best he could muster given the circumstances.

Weiss collected herself after he spoke and stepped back away from him, still reeling from the awkward feeling of inferiority that she'd been dropped in a moment ago. Ruby had stopped her from coming to a conclusion about how to act around the boy, leaving her with an incomplete response. "Hello Jaune, Ruby and I were just talking." Her anger subsided, and was replaced with something else that she couldn't quite place. However, she admonished herself for feeling the need to explain herself to him so suddenly.

"Well, alright." Jaune paused letting an uncomfortable silence settle over the room, before deciding that he should be the one to break it. "So, I was wondering if everyone wanted to go get dinner as a team?" Figuring that it might be a good chance to get the group talking so he could possibly get a better understanding of who they were.

Ruby jumped up from behind her bed, her mood having been electrified by the mention of dinner, "Yeah, let's go." Her statement was almost a cheer, as she skipped across the room toward the door. Blake didn't look down from her book, but stood from her bed and followed shortly behind her partner.

Weiss continued to stare at her own partner for a moment, considering his intentions. "I suppose that would be a good idea." Deciding it might be best to take this time to study him further and how he acted around the team. Hoping it might finally answer the questions she had about how she should treat him.

He gave her a nod as she passed him; having only stepped into the room for a moment, he wished that he'd waited to mention food to give himself a chance to relax a bit. He wasn't physically very tired, but mentally the day had begun to take it's toll on him. Dropping his school supplies at his desk, he followed after his team toward the cafeteria. _A proper conversation could be nice_. Resolving that he could learn more from them this way, than he did during combat.

The walk itself was relatively uneventful, each of the team members maintaining a reasonable distance from one another. Ruby clearly in the lead, with Blake shortly behind her, while there was a larger gap between Weiss and Jaune. Neither was sure of how to close the gap without it leading them in another difficult silence.

Arriving at the cafeteria, team AWBR set about their business selecting their food and finding a table for the team. Each of the tables seated 4 or 8, a development that didn't take much thinking to understand. Once each of them sat and began to eat however, the modicum of normalcy that had appeared faded away. Ruby looked around nervously, while Blake and Weiss appeared to be trying to act as if they were alone at the table across from Ruby and himself. Jaune looked back at Ruby beside him and gave her what he hoped was a supportive smile. Her face softened a bit, letting him know it had helped in some small way.

"So..." the words already becoming thick in his mouth as he tried to get something out on the table to get everyone talking. "How did everyone's first day go?" _Does that sound as dumb to them as it does to me_. Neither of the other girls seemed forthcoming with a response, so, Ruby tried to dig her team leader out of the hole he'd just fallen in.

"It was really great, I was expecting to have more actual class-time but more time to train is always nice." What she was saying was the truth, the lack of substance in the topic however became quite apparent.

Blake considered the exchange for a moment, placing her fingertip on the word she had stopped on before placing her book down on the table. "There are fairly obvious reasons not to have too many generalized courses," deciding to impart some knowledge on her younger partner. "As every student comes from very different backgrounds, as well as having different skill sets, they each of fairly specialized needs."

Ruby placed her hand on her chin, striking a thinking pose with her head tilted downward slightly into her hand as she filed away the information and attempted to compile it further. Jaune for his part smiled at the exchange, seeing the two interacting relaxed his mind a bit. Feeling that the easier of the two pairs had been able to interact, he looked over to his own partner and considered how he might be able to get her talking.

"So; Weiss, I'm sorry for interrupting your fight earlier." He wasn't really sure why he felt the need to apologize. Something about the look she'd given him after that fight told him that he had done something wrong. It took a moment for her to respond and acknowledge his words, eventually her eyes looked back at his and that feeling returned. Something in her eyes told him that she was angry, but it was more than simply something he'd done; it peaked his curiosity as to what kindled that fire in her eyes.

Weiss' mood shifted abruptly at his words, and she took a moment to temper it before responding to him. His words had been the correct course of action, while she didn't need the help; she wasn't really able to be angry with him providing actually capable advice. At the same time, she didn't want him to get into the habit of thinking of her as someone he needed to save. "I appreciate your insight Jaune, you're forgiven, however I would prefer that you refrain from distracting me in combat in the future."

 _Well, at least the words were civil_. Something about the way she was speaking let Jaune know that she was fighting her words on the way out. He'd have to put more work in than that if he wanted to get anything more genuine out of her. Thinking on it however, now wasn't the time for that type of thing, so, he put on a smile and played along as best he could. "Alright, I'll be more careful"

None of the girls called him out on his response, Ruby instead gave him a smile and gave a large waving motion to someone behind him. The table had guests in the form of team PRNY, who crashed into their seats animatedly and the voices of Nora, Yang and Ruby drown out the silence from before. Jaune let out a relaxing sigh, happy that he'd gotten the back-up he needed.

His partner however continued to give him a look of intensity that he didn't seem to notice, _well it's clear he'd a poor actor_. She'd tried to ensure that her response was one that would shake off his line of questioning, but it was clear from his fake smile that he knew things were resolved. She'd seen enough people pretend to be happy with someone's words to know that he wasn't satisfied. They'd have another chance some other time to try to resolve it, but she would need to approach the situation from a position of authority to be sure that she got the outcome she wanted; once she figured out what that outcome would be.


	12. Constructing Foundations

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RWBY. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Sparks crashed around him as he was thrown from his feet and into the air, crashing to the around a few feet back and rolling back to his feet as quickly as he could. His arm ached indicating that some of the impact had made it's way through his shield. Only having a moment to consider his opponent before the gap that had been created was closed, Cardin Winchester stood a few inches taller and was much larger framed than him. He hefted a large mace that was clearly heavy enough to throw Jaune around.

The fight had only been going on for about half a minute and Jaune could already feel that he was nearing the point of no return for a comeback. Cardin rushed him, driving his mace down toward his head; Jaune dove to the side and managed to get past him. Getting to his feet and backing away slightly, he attempted to consider his options. He was fairly limited on the training stage they fought on, as it had no terrain or elevations to use to try to even the playing field for him.

His thoughts were cut short by a mace falling careening toward his mid-section, his opponent being left handed didn't help him either, as he was forced to awkwardly bring his shield across his body to catch the forehand swing. This time he collided with the force-field that contained the battle area and bounced back onto the floor. Coughing as he lost his breath from the sudden shift in direction, he fought back to his feet and created some distance again.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune quickly switched his shield into his right hand, and his sword into his left. Considering he wasn't thoroughly trained in orientation it wouldn't impact his fighting too heavily to have his hands switched, and it would put him in a better position against Cardin's weapon hand. Gripping his sword as tightly as he could, he thought on how he might be able to get an attack in, if he couldn't properly stop an attack. _Path of least resistance, right._ The thought was a good one, the execution remained to be seen.

Moving a bit forward into Cardin's charge, the forehand swipe this time bore down on his head, in response Jaune lifted his arm, curling it as if he was grabbing the back of his neck and leaning away from the strike. The angle and more secure stance deflected the impact upward and over his body, as they passed Jaune tried his best to swipe at Cardin's exposed torso. His sword shunted off of the thick armor present there however, not likely to have caused much damage.

Cardin stopped his spinning motion and brought his mace back across his body into a backhand swing, Jaune braced himself for the impact and was again thrown from his feet and across the stage. Rolling over onto his hands and knees as quickly as he could, _that didn't work._ Dropping shield to the ground and placing both hands on his sword. He would need more force to get through Cardin's defenses, and his own shield was not providing much protection from attacks as it was. Resigning himself to just having to avoid the attacks with his smaller size, he charged into the larger opponent.

Swinging his sword in a clumsy overhead attack, Cardin chose to block it with his mace. Jaune did the best he could to try to press whatever force he had from his charge into the larger man's block. Absorbing the impact, and pushing down onto his shorter body, Jaune's knees began to buckle under his heavier opponent. "This is the part, where you lose." Cardin smirked as he pushed Jaune into the ground.

Jaune did his best to keep up with him, but he could tell it wasn't going to work. He would need to regroup and consider a different plan of action, hoping to find an opening to disengage he decided to fight back with words at least. "Over my dead-" even his verbal strike was cut short by a knee driving into his stomach. His feet left the ground for a moment, before gravity deposited his writhing body onto the floor of the arena.

Cardin brought his mace above his head, preparing for what would have been a devastating blow to Jaune's body. However, in the moment before the mace came down the force-field of the area came down, and loud shrill beep was emitted around them signaling that the match had been called.

Out stepped their combat instructor, Glynda Goodwitch. Her face was in her trademark scowl, as she regarded the scene before her. She had given a brief lecture before deciding that their first lesson would be punctuated by a duel between two of the team leaders. Jaune was selected first, and Cardin had volunteered as the second combatant; from the way she had looked at him, Jaune knew that had selected him as the first fighter before the class had even begun.

"That's enough," her voice was calm and didn't imply any obvious feelings about the fight itself; the words that followed however made it clear that Jaune had a long way to go. Walking to the middle of the stage, Cardin stepped away from her toward the side, leaving Jaune laying on the ground unable to stand easily. His whole body ached, the impact of each strike finally compounding on him. "As you can see, Mr. Arc's aura has now dropped into the red." She held a larger scroll in her hands, which she pressed a few keys on. The screen above him showed his own aura level compared to Cardin's, the lack of any damage to his opponent made the defeat even more scathing.

Goodwitch continued, "In a tournament style duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle." Jaune glanced back out into the auditorium, seeing the look of mirth on many students as he had amused them with his inability to fight back. Focusing on his own team, Ruby had a look of concern, while Blake didn't seem to be giving him much attention. Weiss' face however left him in an even more pronounced state of defeat, as she looked almost disgusted with his display in front of the student body.

Goodwitch's words became directed at him for a moment, drawing his attention back to the stage, " , please try to refer to your scroll during combat." Jaune fished his scroll from the satchel on his belt, noting that his own aura level was indicated on the screen. "Gauging your aura will help you decide when it is appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more defensive strategy."

Thinking on the advice given to him, he felt it lacked any real useful information. Considering the situation he had been in, there was no where for him to retreat to for a more defensive strategy; not only that, but he didn't have the time to disengage and review his scroll in a one on one duel.

"We wouldn't want you to get gobbled up by a Beowolf, now would we?" Her words seemed hollow, like she held some sort of anger toward him as well. _One more on the list of people who don't like me_. Another comment arrived from behind his professor, Cardin smirking at him and enjoying the admonishing that he was receiving.

"Speak for yourself." Cardin lifted his mace onto his shoulder and made his way off the stage. Leaving Jaune to collect himself and try to make his way off the stage, the class bell rang; signaling for everyone to make their way out of the classroom. Jaune hung his head in defeat, taking some time to try to recover from the fight. His own team left as well, each of them unsure of how to approach him after such an ordeal.

Managing to bring himself to his feet, Jaune let out a deep sigh at the idea of having to go through another fight like that. The advice he'd been given by the professor wasn't much to go on in a duel-style situation, and left him with little to improve for a fight like that in the future. He had thought they came to the school to learn how to fight against monsters, which he had done a reasonably good job of during the initiation. However, fighting against a person, who was clearly superior in strength and defense left him with nothing more than ideas and a lack of execution.

 _Maybe this was a mistake._ Thinking on coming to Beacon, he had figure he could coast for the first little while, and possibly catch up with the rest of the students well enough to pass. After such a crushing defeat however, he wasn't sure he could make up that much ground just by simply training on his own time. He couldn't really ask a professor for extra help, as there were too many students for that type of specialized assistance, on top of the risk of exposing his identity.

As he stepped out of the room, a white figure caught his eye in his peripheral vision. His partner regarded him with a glare, as she stood with her arms crossed and he head tilted slightly. Her ponytail hung behind her frame as a result of her leaning posture, drawing his eyes to her hair as the swaying motion of it flickered against the light that filtered into the outdoor area they now stood in.

"We need to talk." A statement that held so much weight no matter the situation, and he blinked at her for a moment. _Frying pan to the freezer..._

Shortly afterward he found himself pulled into a shaded section of one of the school's quads, Weiss scanned the area slightly, ensuring that they were outside of earshot of most of the other students. Turning to him, "What was that just now?" Her voice didn't provide even a modicum of intent to hide her anger.

Watching such a poor display in from of their entire year, by her partner and team leader was appalling for her. She knew there was something wrong when she had to unlock his aura during their initiation, but she had pushed it aside after seeing him manage well enough against the Grimm they had faced. However, seeing him in combat against a more competent opponent made his lack of skill embarrassingly apparent.

Jaune looked at her fearfully, knowing that this was going to be a difficult situation to get out of he did his best to review his option before he spoke. "I was out matched, I'm sorry." Apologizing seemed like the right thing to do, but from the sparking of anger in her eyes, his insticts were wrong this time.

"Well, that much is fairly obvious. What I'm asking is how you could be so completely defeated from the outset of the fight." Weiss did her best to keep her voice from becoming too loud, lest she draw attention to their ordeal.

Jaune reeled from her words, and thought a bit further on how to respond in a way that wouldn't betray his lack of schooling. "There was nowhere for me to retreat to, and I couldn't match his strength." Figuring he could possibly argue that it was a poor match-up for his skill set was the only escape he had. Even if his skill set was non-existent.

To someone who had never been in a duel, that response might have been something that could have passed for a reasonable excuse, but she had fought with him before. "You easily would have out-maneuvered him, you didn't strike him with any real force either." His inability to do anything at all infuriated her, win or lose, he couldn't let someone like Cardin have a flawless victory on him.

Jaune's head dipped against her anger, unable to formulate a reasonable response. He lacked any good escape plans either. "You're probably right."

Trying to brush her off only made things worse in her mind, "There is no probably, I am right and you know it." In their previous fights, he was clearly able to read the flow of their enemies well enough to know she was right. Something about all this just didn't add up. "How did you get this far without having any personal skill."

 _She's going to figure it out._ Looking away he against tried to come up with some sort of escape, but part of him thought further on the topic. This could be his way of getting help, if he could convince her to help him train and improve then he wouldn't need to leave. Looking back into her eyes shook his resolve for a moment however, it was a huge gamble to take but at the same time he felt like it just might work.

"I never went to combat school."

The words hung between them for what felt like an eternity, all the sounds of the school around him drained leaving his stuck in a vacuum which he couldn't get away from on his own. Looking at her pleadingly, he could only help for her to offer him a hand.

The gears of Weiss' war machine halted as Jaune's words caught between them, leaving her brain trying to reboot for a few moments. It all began to make sense, if he were home schooled, he would potentially know the theory of fighting very well but not its execution. As such, his lack of experience with tournament-style combat would make more sense. It would also explain his lack of common knowledge of the world outside his small family or community.

"Well that explains it then, I can't imagine who let some home-schooled klutz like you into a school like this, but maybe you were a potential project for them." _Now a project for me I suppose_ , thinking on it further however, if she were able to bring him from the level he was now to a proper competitor it would definitely improve her standing with the faculty.

Her response wasn't what he expected, _Home-schooled?_ It did give him an opening however, if she thought that was a reasonable excuse, he could use it to convince her to train him, and explain away his current inability. "Yeah, they thought I had potential," figuring he could play along for a bit and then pose the question of assistance once she was sure she was right.

Deciding that this must be the only proper explanation that could apply to this situation, she set about making sure that the outcome she had decided on would be the one they got. "Well, that won't do then. As my partner, I'll have to help you with your training then."

His head perked up quickly at her statement, eyes widening. He couldn't believe things had worked out so smoothly. "That would be great." His fears about being exposed were shaken, protected under this new lie.

"You're welcome." She stated expectantly, making it clear that he should be thanking her for even offering to do something like that. _He better be grateful_. This would give her an opportunity to maintain a level of authority in her team that she feared she wouldn't get the chance to have before.

Jaune stuttered for a moment, "Yeah, Thank you so much." Nodding quickly to her, this couldn't have worked out better for him, allowing her to think that he simply lacked the training and provide it to him.

Thinking further on the topic, Weiss decided now would be the best time to set down the rules as she would see them. "We will begin tomorrow evening, I'll work on a training regime for you." She paused awaiting him to acknowledge this as being acceptable.

Jaune could only flounder a bit at the sudden shift in tone from the girl before him, noting that he was not indebted to her and also really had no say in whether or not any of what she was about to say was acceptable. _Freezer, right._ Nodding finally, he resigned himself to whatever fate she decreed for him.

"Good, next, you will not speak about this to anyone else." She would need to make sure that they were not targeted by other teams for their weakness. Jaune would be a liability in team versus team combat for the foreseeable future, and she wanted to keep that a secret while she improved the situation.

Again Jaune nodded, he didn't really want anyone else asking more questions about his past that might reveal this new construct to be false as well. His partner seemed satisfied with his acceptance, seeming to be fairly natural in the position of doling out orders. _Why am I the leader again..._

With that Weiss placed a hand on her chin, thinking a bit further on the topic to ensure she hadn't missed anything. "Well, I'll will meet up with the team at the cafeteria. Wait a few minutes before heading that way yourself." She didn't want people asking questions about what they were doing, if she wanted to keep their arrangement a secret then she would have to the thorough.

Looking at her inquisitively for a moment, he nodded. _Probably best just to agree._ Avoiding conflict with her would be the best course of action in the future for fear of things not working out as they were now. With a huff, he watched her leave and sat down on the grass to ponder the turn of events.

He'd come moments away from being exposed as a fraud and thrown from the school, sent home dishonorably with only the hope that his parents would let him go back to living at home. In that instant he recognized that he didn't want that to be the outcome of this even more so now that he had tasted the life of a hunter. He'd dreamed of being a hero all his life, wanting to protect world and its people from those who might do them harm.

He laid back onto the grassy field and stared up at the blue sky before him. Growing up he heard stories of the heroics of his ancestors, accomplishing so many things, saving the lives of innocents, liberating cities from the Grimm, protecting the security of the kingdoms, bringing peace in the face of wars. His family had not only been a part of many of these events, but been the catalyst that brought about their outcome. The statue in the center of this very institution was of one such family member.

The heroes and heroines in the fantasy novels he'd read were often times based on ideas and stories of his own family members, similar exploits and accolades to the ones in those stories were made real by those he could call family. It felt so real to know that these were things that could truly be done, being a part of that legacy made it feel so much closer and at the same time so very out of reach.

Now his own story was punctuated by yet another lie, to construct a story about him that would keep him from losing out on having a future at all. He needed the help of others around him to be able to even survive the world he'd forced his way into, let alone be able to have an impact on it.

He had only two words that he could latch onto that he used to carry him forward, _Confidence and Actions_. Jaune wondered what they truly meant together, for him as a leader and a hunter. Wanting to be a hero was the dream that brought him head, and it would have to be what would get him to continue on his way forward.

Deciding enough time had passed since the heiress had left, he lifted himself back to his feet again. Feeling the soreness of his previous fight had subsided, it was curious feeling that he had recovered so quickly. It would have to wait for another time, he followed after her to join his team at the cafeteria for lunch.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm not a big fan of having huge author's notes at the start of my chapters, but I needed to put this somewhere you all would see it :P.

Thanks everyone for all the support you've given me. When I first posted any of this I didn't think I'd get much of a following at all, frankly it was more of something I was using to keep my mind of off some of the less than happy things that were going on for me at the time. So, for you all to be so receptive and positive about it has really driven me to continue with writing as best as I can.

Every review, favourite, follow, or read means a lot to me. I just wanted to let you guys all know that I really do want to keep this going as long as I can and keep up a quality level that you all will be able to be happy with. I would have liked to be able to post on a shorter cycle than the two weeks I currently am on, and I will continue to try to put things in place for that to be the case, if it comes to a point where I can release more often I will let you all know (and no, I am not waiting on a specific follower count).

I wish I could do more to reward you all for all your support, if anyone has any input or ideas for things you guys would like to see, feel free to throw it in the review. I do read all of them as soon as I see them and I take all input very seriously.

In line with reviews, I was wondering how people might feel about me responding to them at the bottom of these chapters. If you all would prefer I not to do, to keep the chapters a bit more pure as being only the writing itself, than that's fine I respect that of course. However, I would like to have some level of interaction with you all, to make sure that this story and any future ones continues to go in a direction that is acceptable.

I will stress that I have a plan for how the story will go, however, since this is being released in a chapter by chapter basis, it can be a bit more organic I think. Anyway, feel free to let me know in the reviews, and I'll see whether or not you all would like for me to put responses in the bottom of the chapter.

 **TL;DR:** Thanks for 100 favourites, let me know if you guys would like me to interact with you a bit more in author's notes at the bottom of chapters.


	13. Dancing Partners

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RWBY. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

 **A/N:** Finally back ^_^. I'll have another chapter out the day after tomorrow to make up for my tardiness. Hope you all enjoy

The remainder of the day passed without incident, team AWBR returned to their tasks with their lunch period completed, Blake disappearing to the library, and Ruby tending to Crescent Rose to ensure it was in perfect condition for the coming days of initial training and possible sparring. This left Weiss to discretely pull her partner away and force him into one of the training areas for what she figured would need to be some thorough reconditioning in how to fight against human opponents. Weiss had spent much of their lunch time planning out what would need to be covered and sorting out a schedule for them to do these sessions between their classes. Once she had come to a plan that she deemed acceptable she had set about pulling her partner into one of the training rooms to begin the regime she had in mind.

The school provided students with several practice rooms, intended for combat training and sparring between team members. The pair each had changed into the usual combat attire and made their way into one of these enclosed spaces, the room featured two benches side by side across the room from the door and a reasonably sized arena to fight in. Upon entering the ring, each student would link their scroll to the sensor attached to the ceiling which would monitor their aura levels and ensure that neither party became seriously injured.

Jaune set down his bag on one of the benches and turned to the heiress, having resigned himself to the situation previously. "So, what's the plan for today?"

Weiss placed down her own effects, deciding to respond to him in a more physical manner. She turned and handed him a file folder with some papers inside. She had prepared prior to their meeting, "This is the plan for the foreseeable future."

Jaune opened to folder to find a weekly calendar with training information on it, and meeting time for sparring. Finding that the current day was slated for said sparring match. Realizing that she had taken his class schedule without his knowledge and added these training sessions to it left him a bit unsure again about what he had gotten himself into. "What is this exactly?"

Growing slightly more irate as she clipped Myrtenaster to her hip, she turned to him. "I told you what it is; this is the plan for the foreseeable future." She had come up with this plan for him to do as much training as she figured was expected, and also made sure to plan around the classes he would have. Taking into account her own classes and those of their peers to ensure that they would each be able to meet in the sparring rooms only on days when they could avoid the others questioning them. It was meant to be a favour, one that he clearly didn't appreciate.

Jaune looked down again at the page with a confused look, he could tell that despite his usual mindset on school and training; he would have to get used to being quite busy going forward. Looking back at Weiss and finding her disarmingly powerful expression looking back at him; he relented for the time being and placed the folder down with his things. Attaching Crocea Mors to his hip, he also walked onto the platform. Now wasn't really the time to anger her more, when she was moments away from beating him into the ground.

Weiss spoke up; deciding that now would be a good time to give out the details of what she had in mind. "Today, I want to simply fight you and get a feel for where we should go from here." Beyond the match with Cardin earlier, she didn't really have anything to go on for his ability to fight against another person.

Jaune nodded, his fears being realized in that moment. Having seen Weiss in combat before, he knew that he didn't even hold a candle to the speed she displayed, let alone her precision with her rapier. Nevertheless, he drew Crocea Mors and positioned his shield before him, seeing that Weiss began to unholster Myrtenaster.

"To conserve on aura, we will avoid using semblances for the time being, and reset on each successful strike." She decided to mimic a routine that one of her own teachers had put in place during her private lessons at home. In the couple moments before they readied themselves to fight, it occurred to her that she had no experience with training another person to fight. While she could emulate the regime and actions of her previous instructors, it still left her feeling uncertain about if an unexpected situation could arise. Shaking her head lightly, she resolved that she would be able to handle whatever might happen, she couldn't really get by with telling herself anything else.

Jaune rolled his shoulders slightly, taking a deep breath and preparing for the coming assault, the best he could do was try to weather the storm behind his shield. Seeing Weiss moving into her coiled charging stance, he brought Crocea's shield between himself and his attacker, keeping his sword prepared behind it for the unlikely event she gave him an opening.

In an instant, with a high pitched ringing noise, she glided toward him and drove her rapier at the outside of his shield. Turning his shield slightly to deflect the attack, with a flick of her wrist the blade retreated for him and angled around to his exposed ribs. He attempted to turn the shield back in time to deflect the new angle of attack, but the tip of her blade collided roughly with his breastplate, knocking him off balance and causing Weiss to turn away from him to return to her original position.

She had already begun to walk away before he even collided with the ground, _well this is embarrassing_. He quickly returned to his feet and his own starting position. Happy that she hadn't spoken about his poor reaction, at the same time the neutral expression that she held at the moment made him feel even less sure of what was coming next.

Weiss looked back at her partner for a moment, taking some time before gesturing for them to restart. He had reacted to her attack as one would expect, but his speed in recovering from her feint left her wanting. While most Grimm didn't use very complex attack patterns, his inability to overcome such a simple maneuver confirmed her fears about his lack of higher level training. It was quite confusing how he'd managed to get into the school with so little knowledge of fighting against a skilled opponent. Deciding it wasn't worth questioning the thoughts of Ozpin any further, she readied herself again and nodded to Jaune.

Again Weiss closed the distance in an instant, choosing to repeat her feint. Jaune's shield again turned to deflect the initial attack, but when she retracted and re-angled her strike, his shield met it with force. Deflecting the force of her body to the side of his, and exposing her back to him. Weiss re-acted quickly, using the momentum to put herself into a spin; Jaune doing a similar turn to follow-through on his deflection. He intended to bring his sword down on her before she could recover.

He underestimated her ability to pirouette, as he came around to attack, the side of his body was exposed to her attack. Turning faster than him, she drove Myrtenaster into his side and again left him tumbling to the floor. She waited for a moment this time, he had learned from her attack and immediately put into action an attempt to counter-act it. Her curiosity piqued, she decided to continue this line of attack and see how he would re-act.

Resetting again, she took a deep breath and moved in for her attack. The attack went exactly the same as the time before, however as she turned to attack him, Jaune reversed direction and retracted his shield in time to deflect the newest of her strikes. This action opened up his body and gave him an opportunity to strike back at her, as his sword came down in an overhead strike, she shifted her weight and back-stepped out of his range.

Having committed to his attack against a much more agile opponent left him unable to stop her return thrust, as she reversed direction and closed the distance again. Driving her rapier into the center of his chest, not knocking him to the ground this time however, she returned to her original position. Jaune did the same, his eyes deep in thought, Weiss examined him more and more deeply, trying to discern how he could be learning so quickly, but be coming into the fight so ill-prepared.

She was expected to constantly improve and train herself to be the best of the best; her family's prestige demanded that they be second to no one. Thus she had been several different trainers and sparring partners throughout her time growing up, none of them had fought in the way the boy standing across from her did. Every one of them had their own training, style, patterns of attack and defense that had been rehearsed over hours and hours of training. Contrary to that, Jaune seemed to be learning and making this up as they progressed, adding on to his plan with each new piece of information set before him.

Movement from the boy in question shook her from her thoughts; he had dropped his shield slightly and was looking on her inquisitively. She locked eyes with him for a moment, for once during their exchanges over the past few minutes, she was at a disadvantage. A level of intensity had set into the usually softly sapphire depths before her; blinking a few times she nodded to let him know she was ready to go again.

Their exchange continued, each encounter adding another motion to the dance they were choreographing along the arena. Jaune following Weiss' lead, attempting to wrench control from her wherever possible, adding in his own step forward, only for it to be absorbed by her superior control, forcing him to follow along with the next several steps she added before finding a new opening.

Weiss stood in their reset positions and looked to her opponent across from her. He stood ready for their next attempt, unmoving behind his shield, despite every hit she connected with his aura and stamina seemed relatively unaffected. She knew that her physical attacks from Myrtenaster weren't damaging on their own, but considering how long they had been fighting; and that she hadn't been struck even once, she had figured that he would be at the very least exhausted.

Engaging once again, Jaune's actions were suddenly different from every other clash they'd had, taking her off-guard. His shield collided with her chest, knocking her onto her back foot. His offensive breaking the routine that had set in over them throughout their entire session to that point, Weiss was unable to react in time and leaving her off-balance far longer than she would normally have been.

Jaune had noticed her heavy breathing, and found that each strike had become less and less impactful as they progressed. The entire time, he had been mulling over every possible angle of attack against the heiress. Her speed simply outclassed anything he could do, but he could tell that she lacked much force in her strikes; he surmised that her smaller weapon and stature left little weight behind her attacks. This time was probably the only opening he would have to go on the offensive against her; he followed his shield with an overhead swing of Crocea Mors.

The blade connected with her shoulder as she leaned onto her back foot, knocking her to the ground and leaving him standing over her. The match having ended, he reached out a hand to help the girl up. He froze at the look that was returned to his hand, adding another disarming look to her repertoire.

Her eyes seemed uncertain; they held a questioning glance at his hand and then back to his own eyes. The icy pools of her eyes seemed thawed and questioning of what to do next, the searing cold replaced with a more vulnerable and warm look. Jaune could almost feel as though he'd won the entire session, the way she reacted betrayed a completely different outcome than the forty to one outcome that was the reality.

Weiss reached out to the proffered hand tentatively, feeling Jaune lift her back to her feet. Uncertain of what to say to his sudden change in tactic, despite the overall scoring of their fights, the final clash had left her shaken both physically and mentally. She had fallen so comfortably into their practiced motions that she could still feel the rest of the movements that should have been playing out. He had moved against the current they had worked up and left her behind in an instant, part of her unable to fathom being so far from him so suddenly.

Taking a breath for a moment, she looked to her scroll to find that they had been fighting for about an hour and a half. Deciding that she would need some time to re-access the events that had transpired, she looked at the owner of the hand she was holding. "That should be enough for tonight."

Jaune nodded, unable to argue with the girl given the current situation. He decided to gather his things and leave her for the time being. What little experience he had with his sisters let him know now wouldn't be a good time to press her for conversation.

Weiss sat on her bench for a moment to ponder the turn of events. It was clear to her during the initiation that Jaune was sharp enough to be able to react to changing situations and come up with different plans of attack. She had seen it with him fighting Cardin and his choice to switch the hand he was holding his weapon in, and now with his recognition of her lack of focus and responding with using his shield as a weapon.

She was beginning to understand why he might have been selected as the leader of their team, while she still didn't agree that he was the best choice. His individual skills weren't up to par with some of the other students, but he was clearly able to discern a good course of action against a superior enemy. Sighing to herself, she didn't truly know how she should move forward, with the way things hard turned out during this session. She had fallen so comfortably into a rhythm fighting with him, that she had nearly forgotten what they were there for, and it left her feeling more vulnerable than she ever had before.

However, she would not stand for things continuing at their current status quo. She decided it would be a good idea to continue their training as she had mapped it out, she would need to reconsider her stance on his abilities to some extent, however she didn't want to let up on his need to improve his individual skill. _This will be tricky_. Resolving to try to find a balanced approach to the confusing boy, Weiss stood and made to return to her dorm.

* * *

Team AWBR had all returned to their room and set about their own specific tasks, Ruby and Jaune looking over some comic books, Blake reading her own 'literature', and Weiss working on her own personal notes. Managing to avoid any further complications from the day, they all turned in without incident. The ensuing morning was considerably more difficult for their leader however.

His scroll vibrating on his table awakening him, he stumbled from his bed to see what might be the emergency. His blurry eyes finally focusing when he managed to look over the screen to see the 5am time, the alarm note before him nearly induced a bout of violence toward electronics.

The schedule that Weiss had set out for him had been programmed into his scroll now, leaving him with a 5am alarm for _running_. Part of him wanted to ignore the task, and simply go back to bed, however another part of him felt the extra hour or two of sleep wasn't worth his partner's wrath. Giving one more sigh of resignation, he looked over at the object of his frustration; she seemed too cute and non-threatening when she had her hair down, curled up in bed to be the same girl who had wrought this early morning upon him.

Turning away, he retreated to the bathroom with a pair of jogging pants and a shirt to change, deciding to focus on keeping on top of all the things he would need to do in the future. As much as he was having difficulty adapting to the idea of following a strict training regime, part of him was happy to know that he had some help with being able to catch up to his peers.

The idea of being able to work on his skills and abilities going forward felt like a good thing to him. Jaune could feel some of his anxiety escape him from the previous days, just knowing that he would have a reasonable opportunity and a plan for how to get better. While he hadn't seen any of the results yet, just the hope of getting there was enough for him at the moment.

Nodding to himself, he changed and went about his jog, acknowledging the need to be back to the dorm in about an hour and a half to catch the shower empty before any of the girls awakened. Making his way across the grounds of the school, he noted a few upperclassmen doing similar jogging trips or running about looking like they had already been busy with work.

The school year had started in the early fall, meaning that the morning was still fairly warm and bright. Vale was fairly warm overall, but still had four distinct seasons, the crisp morning air of the mid-autumn weather was a nice feeling for his morning. Despite how hard it was to get out of bed, he felt substantially more awake than he normally would throughout the run. He could get used to this feeling, somehow not sore from the previous day; he managed to cover a considerable distance, before stopping to take a break on a bench in a grassy area of the school grounds.

Taking a deep breath, and trying to calm down for a few minutes, he thought back on the training session he had with Weiss the day before. He'd been able to figure out several different ways to combat her agility, but he still wasn't able to keep up with her relentless attacks. Every opening he thought he had was followed by a seemingly effortless reversal. He knew that there was a skill difference between the two of them, and that was why in the final encounter he had resorted to using his strength to overpower her. The routine they had set into had clearly caused her to let her guard down and gave him that opening, but he knew that wouldn't have been the case in a real match.

He needed to be faster, to be able to have his body keep up with his mind when it came to fighting. Even if he could come up with a plan of attack, and figure out all the moves he needed to make; he needed to be able to execute each motion of his plan. His teammates had kept him alive during the initiation, being able to execute his plan to perfection in an instant, but for him to be able to keep going with them he would need to be able to do the same. _Being a leader is about actions_ , the onus was on him to be the one to lead the way and put a plan into action.

Nodding to himself, he figured the best thing he could do was to keep training with Weiss, and try to improve his ability to fight at the speed that his peers would be going at. Standing again, and deciding that he would need to return to his dorm to set about his day, he began the jog back. _One step at a time._

* * *

Having gone much further than he had expected he would, Jaune made it to their dorm room with a few minutes to spare; entering the room he meandered his way to belongings and extracted his school uniform for the day. His muscles were beginning to tighten up now that he was no longer running, he figured it would be a good idea to have a warm shower and give them some time to relax before finally seizing up completely.

Checking his scroll, he noted that the others would be getting up soon, so, he rushed over to the shower to get in before the girls took up the bathroom for the foreseeable future. Opening the door to the shower he was hit was a wall of steam unexpectedly, triggering his brain to go into a frenzy to figure out what was happening before him. Looking up from the door, his vision cleared enough to see the lithe figure of his partner standing before him.

Normally the bathroom was laid out, such that anyone in the shower could not be easily seen from the doorway. Even if someone were to open the door, there was a solid divider between their vision and the shower; however, he had come into the room at the exact moment which the usually white clad girl was leaving said shower.

The two froze, eyes wide with shock at the turn of events. Jaune made every attempt her could to restart his feet moving and reverse himself back out of the door, but they wouldn't answer. They maintained eye-contact for what felt like hours, part of Jaune knew that was the only thing keeping her from killing him. _Don't look down, don't look down, do not look down._ He fought with his instincts as every bit of brain power he could spare, despite what felt like an eternity, it took only a few seconds for Jaune's resolve to buckle.

The instant that Jaune's eyes deviated downward, Weiss sprung into action conjuring a large and blunt piece of ice and hurling it at the offending boy. Jaune had only that moment to commit the view to memory, and hope that the upcoming blunt force trauma didn't knock it out of him. With a loud thud, his world went black.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank to everyone for being supportive after my accident (I have no serious injuries, for anyone wondering), and being understanding about needing time to get back on track. I'm gonna try to get more writing done again, I've got a bit more time on my hands now that I don't have a car :P.

AntonSlavik020: I know that Weiss is coming off as a bit unlikable, she's working on it. She has her reasons, and hopefully in this chapter you can see a bit more of what she thinks she's doing correctly. My take on her character is more that she feels what she's doing is actually the right thing to do, it's less that she's actively being negative, just that she doesn't really know any other way of looking at things.

theycallmebeanz: It'll take some time to get to know Jaune's backstory, aside from spilling that he has several sisters, his character doesn't really talk much about his family. So, it leaves a lot to interpretation, which is good for me ^_^.

For anyone wondering about any other projects I might be working on, since I know some people have chosen to follow my account and not just Aubretia. I am planning to work on some other projects branching off of this one. I really enjoy the idea of making a slight change, and it significantly changing how the story and characters play out.

If any of you have ever played a visual novel, or Fate/Stay Night specifically, you know how big a difference there was be from just a couple small choices. I kind of want to try my hand at something like that, so, the landing strategy and a few of the choices leading up to that will be our prologue for future stories.


	14. Little Victories

**A/N:** Woohoo, we're back. I have finally returned. I'll take some more time to explain why there was such a long hiatus as soon as I can, but for now I just wanted to get this chapter out. Thank you to everyone who has been reading, or reviewing, I really appreciate it. Hope you all enjoy, and I should be able to keep up with posting on the regular for the foreseeable future.

 **A/N 2.0: I didn't specify this earlier, but the usual 2 week intervals will be the case. Meaning ever second Monday is the expected days for release now, given my school/work schedule. I'll try to release them earlier whenever possible however.**

* * *

"You did leave the…" Bits of sentences began to pry their way in Jaune's consciousness; a thick ringing suppressed his ability to discern much of what he was feeling at that moment. He could tell he was in a fair bit of pain however; a pulsing from his forehead gave him a clear message of that being the case.

"He should have heard…" His eyes began to work again, opening his eyelids slightly; he was bombarded with colors and brightness, as he found himself beginning to recognize the room around him. After a few more blinks, he was able to figure out where he was; finding himself with his back leaned against the wall beside their dorm bathroom. Before him were his team members, each seemingly prepared for the day and dressed in their uniforms.

They were arguing about something, though more specifically it seemed that Weiss was angry and arguing about something, while Blake seemed to rebuttal calmly, detached from the situation. Ruby seemed to be the only one to acknowledge his awakening, making her way over to him and kneeling down. "Weiss is pretty upset with you; she says you were peeping on her"

The turn of events leading up to his acquaintance with unconsciousness flooded into his mind. Weiss he lobbed a large block of ice into his forehead, as a result of his ill-fated decision to walk into the shower without checking if anyone was in it. He'd assumed that because he was up so early, that he wouldn't have anything to worry about; clearly he was wrong. On top of that, the turn of events had left him with a hazy image of what he'd even seen to induce the day's violence. "I'm a little fuzzy on what happened, but I had walked in to take a shower after my run."

Tilting her head to the side slightly, Ruby gave him a pensive look and placing a finger against her lips. Seeming to think a bit further on the subject, Jaune surmised she was discerning whether to believe him or not. He hoped it would be the former, knowing that he would need all the help he could get with Weiss' coming wrath.

Looking away from the younger girl to the girl in question, she immediately made eye-contact and recognized his awakened state. Stomping her way over to him, he attempted to scramble away from her but found himself pinned against the wall he was propped up against. "How dare you do such a thing," Weiss state vehemently now standing menacingly over him.

Jaune scrambled to find a solution to the situation that would result in him leaving with his body intact, glancing past the tense look of his partner, he found that his remaining team mates had chosen to not involve themselves further. Bringing his attention back to the girl in front of him he decided to go with the truth to the best of his ability, figuring it was his best chance at this point. "I'm really sorry Weiss, I didn't know you were in there. I just opened the door and blacked out when you hit me."

Weiss hesitated for a moment, as if processing further the words he'd selected. "So, you don't remember anything past opening the door?" She paused for a moment awaiting a response, it seemed that whatever state of undress she was in when he'd arrived was the focus of her aggression.

Taking a moment to realize that there was a possibility of his survival, he nodded slowly; his head still ringing from the blow he'd received. "I don't remember anything past opening the door, you must've reacted pretty quickly."

"Of course I reacted quickly, what do you take me for." Her eyes narrowed, evaluating the response her partner had offered. The whole incident had gone on too long now, and she was reaching the point of simply wanting to move on, so she decided it was probably best to accept his statement for what it was and try to move on with their day.

Jaune took the few seconds Weiss left him during her thoughts to glance around the room quickly looking for an escape, seeing that the time had progressed significantly over the span of this incident. He knew that class would be his saving grace, collecting himself he sprang into action, pushing off the wall he'd propped himself against, he crossed the room in just a few steps and grabbed his uniform before ducking into the bathroom and locking the door.

Weiss having been caught up in her thoughts noticed him moving too late to be able to stop him; though, she had already decided to let him go. She felt it was best to simply move on at this point and with a quick sigh of frustration she turned to the other girls of team AWBR, and nodded. "Time for class I suppose, our leader will be late it seems."

The latter half of their team each followed her as they made their way out of the room and off to begin their day. The two of them both silently acknowledging that their team dynamic would be a messy one for the foreseeable future.

Jaune found himself blinking at his reflection in the mirror, "Hello again." His speaking aloud struck him for a moment, _I guess he and I are going to be getting to know each other after all_. Realizing that his fears about hiding in the bathroom had been realized he let his head dip slightly before going about his business preparing for the day, knowing he'd need to get to class as soon as possible.

* * *

Having managed to survive another day of classes Jaune found himself again in the secluded training room awaiting his partner for a private training session. Replaying the morning's hijinks through his head, he knew that there was a good possibility that he was going to be facing a very angry trainer today. The thought sent a shiver through him, dreading what a fight with her would be like when she went all out.

Taking a deep breath to steady his mind, he decided to instead play out the previous sparring they had done and try to remember the motions they had ended up adapting. The feeling of moving in time with her attacks, much like dancing that he'd learned from his sisters. _Though significantly more painful is I make a mistake_. The sound of the door opening drew him from his thoughts.

Weiss stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. She already had Myrtenaster on her hip, and made her way into the ring without a word. Jaune took the message and stood from the bench he was waiting on, making his way to his own position in the battle area. Setting himself and bringing his shield to bare against her, he set his shoulders and awaited her signal. _Can't run away now_.

Weiss' expression didn't provide him with much to try to understand the mood she had brought in with her, but as she flicked her wrist and brought Myrtenaster to up to her face, Jaune knew he'd had to wait until later.

They stayed ready, standing before one another for a few moments; however, in an instant the silence was broken between them as Weiss closed the distance and thrust her sword in an attempt to force open Jaune's guard.

Jaune leaned into the blow, absorbing it with the center of his shield instead of deflecting the blow. From their previous bouts, he knew that the actual weight and impact behind each blow was minimal without enhancement from a glyph. He surmised that if he absorbed the impact, he would be able to reduce the game in speed and agility between the two of them.

Weiss retracted her strike the instant it connected with Jaune's shield, and she moved quickly to circle around his defenses, looking to find an opening around his shield. Jaune against shifted his weight attempting to turn with her attack, however this time he over-corrected.

Weiss' caught her own movements, seeing him continue to past the point she had encircled him and drove her rapier through his guard sending him sprawling onto the ground. In an instant, she made her way back to her own resetting point.

Jaune did the same, re-aligning himself with his partner he again made eye contact, seeking some insight to the thoughts going on inside her head. She normally wasn't one to completely avoid speaking, especially when she was irate. However, he could perceive one emotion in her face, _disappointment_. Clearly she had expected him to have improved further from their previous session.

Racking his brain to formulate a plan to fight against her, he decided he'd need to press any advantage he could get. _My shield is my only advantage_. She wasn't going to give him time to think further, as his eyes caught a tension in her legs that signaled she was about to strike. Using his stronger defensive capability to press an attack would be the only way to make an opening, she didn't have any way to block an attack, but his sword was easy for her to avoid.

In an instant, she closed the distance, making to force Jaune into a disadvantageous position. Putting his plan into action, Jaune stepped into the attack, meeting her thrust with his shield, and pressing his weight back into her. Weiss reacted quickly, retracting her rapier with a flick or her wrist. Again, she made to circle around him, however in the brief moment it took for her to shift her weight laterally, Jaune's shield closed the gap and connected with her shoulder forcing her off-balance.

Jaune recognized this turn of events from the previous session; and, knowing she would need to catch herself, he pressed his advantage. Striking out with Crocea Mors, he brought his sword down in a diagonal across her body. However, his blade connected with nothing.

Weiss reacted much more quickly than their previous session, catching herself almost immediately and pushing herself out of Jaune's range. Making eye contact against, Jaune could tell her mood was in some small way improved by his show of offense.

With the new-found offense from Jaune, he was able to avoid being overcome by Weiss' superior agility to some extent. Thus, the two continued an exchange of aggression and disengagement for some time. The two being unable to score a proper hit on one another, eventually Weiss stopped the two of them from continuing.

"That will be enough for now." The first words she'd spoke to him since the altercation that morning. She stepped out of the ring, and walked to the door of their training room. Not acknowledging him further.

Jaune followed her with his eyes, watching as she made to leave, unsure of whether it would be best to remain quiet or not. Luckily for his indecisiveness, Weiss had other plans. As she turned to face him from the door. "Hurry up, we'll be late for dinner." Motioning with her hand that he should follow after her.

Moving quickly, he grabbed his bag from the bench he'd been waiting on, and jogged to the door. "Next time we train together, I'll no longer be holding off using my glyphs. You need to be able to fight against other hunters making use of their full arsenal."

Jaune looked at her surprised, _I could barely keep up as it is_. "Are you sure, I figured we'd work our way up to you going all out with your sword before we move on to your semblance." At this, there was a twitch in Weiss' face before she responded.

"I think it best that we move include the full breadth of my abilities in your training to accelerate things along." Weiss did her best to contain her anger at Jaune obliviousness, he clearly didn't understand the implication of her 'taking the gloves off, so to speak'. _We already reached the limit of my swordplay_.

Weiss held no illusions that her skill with her rapier on its own wasn't her strength; however, Jaune's ability to adapt and close the gap between the two of them irked her. It was clear that he was able to nullify her normal speed advantage using his shield, and she didn't have any other way to overpower him. Her fighting style relied heavily on her ability to use her semblance to manipulate elemental attacks, and empower her physical abilities.

Regardless of her acknowledgment that she was simply at a disadvantage against many of her peers in a strictly physical, it didn't make her feel better about the situation. Ultimately, there was little she could do to change her smaller stature against her partner; thus, she would be need to make use of her glyphs to be able to train his abilities to match up with the other students.

Jaune acknowledged that Weiss seemed to give a calming sigh, before continuing forward toward the locker rooms. "Despite your lack of formal schooling, you're learning quickly enough. That much I will give you." Smiling at what praise she was willing to offer him, he followed after her, intent on showering and changing into their uniforms for dinner.

* * *

Again, Jaune found himself entering the fighting ring in front of his whole class. It had been a few days since his last training session with Weiss; their class schedule having been fairly busy going into the latter half of the week. As a result, Jaune wasn't sure how effective he'd be against a different opponent.

Goodwitch seemed to be in a bad mood, as she called for a grudge match of sorts, Cardin was in the ring to meet him as he approached. _At least it'll be a good gauge of if I've improved at all_. Stepping into the ring and moving to his position across from his opponent.

He'd taken some advice from Goodwitch, fashioning an extra holster he had for his scroll into an arm band that he placed under his shield arm. Removing said scroll from his belt, he re-attached it to the underside of his arm, making it so that if he held his shield up in front of his body, he would be able to see the screen in the bottom of his vision. In this way, he would be able to keep track of the status of his aura, without needing to look away from Cardin.

"You both know the rules already, the fight ends when your aura level drops into the red. Use of any piece of your repertoire of attacks as well as semblances are allowed, so long as there is no intent to cause death or irreversible harm." With that the professor turned and began to make her way onto her podium to watch the match.

Cardin gave Jaune a grin, sending a shiver down the blonde's spine. The look made it very clear to Jaune that every move Cardin made would be with the intent to cause irreversible harm. During their last bout, the final attack Cardin was about to make would have certainly put him out of commission for a long time, if not indefinitely. Thus, Jaune knew that he would be taking it easy on him like his training sessions with Weiss, he'd need to protect himself as best he could.

Moments later, the shielding system created a dome around them, and Jaune took his usual stance behind his Crocea Mors, holding the sword at his side, somewhat concealed by the shield. Cardin was much more relaxed, with his mace held lazily at his side, standing more casually.

"Begin!"

Unlike in his sessions with Weiss, Cardin didn't rush to close the distance and strike at him. Instead, he waited for a moment, rolling his wrist and spinning his mace around. Cardin seemed to be in no rush to start the fight. Jaune knew it wasn't for fear of his ability in close-quarters, more so his lack of any respect for Jaune's ability.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune knew it wouldn't do him much good to charge into Cardin, instead he held his stance firm and inched forward slightly. Deciding to take whatever ground Cardin would be willing to give him for free.

This process continued for a few moments, Cardin sizing up his opponent, in turn giving him a sort of handicap at the expense of Jaune's pride. As Jaune came within a step of Cardin however, he reacted with a massive overhead swing. Reacting quickly, Jaune rolled out to the side, standing quickly and bringing his shield to bare again.

His shield arm move just fast enough to catch the second swing from Cardin, bringing his mace back up from the ground and across his body. The blow connected squarely with Jaune's shield, lifting him from his feet and sending him across the arena.

Jaune kept himself level with the ground, absorbing the blow and managing to catch himself. _That didn't hurt as much as the last time_. Looking at his aura, the blow didn't seem to register as much as he'd feared it would. Figuring it must have been from his shield absorbing much of the attack, Jaune looked back to Cardin to find he was again waiting for Jaune to make another approach.

"Over here Jauney-boy, you can do better than that, right?" He finished with a laugh, before resting his mace on his shoulder and motioning with his hand that Jaune come at him again.

Jaune grit his teeth, nearly rushing the bully hoping to catch him before he could react. "Don't be stupid Jaune," a voice from the crowd caught his attention. Looking to the classroom, could see Blake and Ruby looking at Weiss astonished, the girl in question looking down at her lap, her face shielded by her bangs.

Not being able to spare the time to access what was happening with his team, he realigned himself with his opponent. Calming down slightly, _he wants me to rush him_. It was obvious Cardin was ready to counterattack at any time, taking a deep breath, Jaune finally set about finding a way to force an opening.

It was an erroneous assumption to make that Cardin's weapon would be too heavy for him to swing before Jaune would be able to find an opening. It was clearly the much larger teen was able to overcome the weight of his own weapon with ease. Jaune's shield was again the advantage he might be able to make use of. If he could properly deflect a blow, he would be inside of Cardin's effective range; his mace needed him to be a specific distance away to be most damaging.

Seeing that Cardin had placed his mace onto his shoulder, Jaune would have to make a gamble that he would begin again with an overhead strike. Putting his plan into action, Jaune again inched forward with his shield at the ready.

Upon reaching the right distance from Cardin, the assault began again. It was clear the mace-wielding teen knew at exactly what range he would be most effective. Jaune was ready this time however, raising his shield and bracing it with both his hands. He angled the shield so that the blow would continue downward but deflect away from his and across Cardin's body.

With a loud grinding impact, the mace deflected off Jaune's shield and into the ground beside him. Not wanting to waste any time, Jaune immediately gave a heavy swing of his sword, driving it into Cardin's exposed side. With no armor there to protect him, his aura was forced to take the majority of the strike. Cardin winced, and quickly swung his mace in a heavy backhand motion, intent on sending Jaune flying and back out of range.

Instead of absorbing the blow this time, Jaune ducked underneath, keeping his whole body as low to the ground as possible. Knowing now that he had Cardin off balance, Jaune got his feet beneath him, and used his leverage from being lower to the ground to drive his shield under Cardin's chin and causing his head to snap back and his whole body to tumble backward onto the ground.

A horn sounded before Jaune could figure out his next move, and the dome around the arena fell quickly. Looking around shocked, Jaune found Professor Goodwitch stepping into the arena with her tablet in hand. "That is the end of the match."

Jaune gave her a pensive look before noting that Cardin was not making any attempt to stand to address the teacher. "Under normal circumstances, a match ends when one of the combatant's aura level drops into the red. Alternatively, in the event that one were to fall unconscious, due to physical exhaustion or some other means, the defenseless participant is disqualified."

Looking down at Cardin with more scrutiny, he could see that the teen's eyes were closed and he was motionless beyond the act of breathing. Nodding to himself in acknowledgement, it took a moment to set in that he had managed to win his fight against the superior opponent.

His attention was brought back to Goodwitch at the sound of her saying his name. "Jaune, you are the victor. I'm glad to see you are putting more effort into this class." The older woman gave him what he could only guess was her version of a smile, the slightest change in the angle of her lips, before turning back to the class. _I'll take what I can get I suppose_.

"That will conclude todays class, your assigned readings will be available on your scrolls. Remember that, next week we will be on an excursion to the Forest of Forever Fall. Make sure you are prepared". The professor finished, turning to her unconscious student and dialing for the infirmary on her tablet. "I need medical assistance to the practical combat classroom as soon as possible."

Jaune took this as a signal for him to leave, as the rest of the class was beginning to. As he reached the bottom of the stairs off the platform however, he was knocked to the ground by a rush of red.

"Jaune, that was amazing." The youngest member of the team had in an instant tackled him to the ground. "You improved so much, that's our leader alright, we should celebrate your victory, there must be cookies." The girl's stream of consciousness was broken upon her leader shifting beneath her in an attempt to stand up.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, but do you mind getting up?" Jaune taking a moment to finally look at the situation before him. The younger girl straddling his waist, with her hands holding herself up by planting them against his abdomen.

Another rush of red appeared across Ruby's face, before she quickly bolted from on top of him leaving only flower petals behind; and, hiding behind her partner who was standing a few feet away with an amused look.

"Yes Ruby, please try to keep your public displays of affection to a minimum. It's unbecoming of a member of my team." Weiss stood over Jaune with her arms crossed, looking over to Ruby who was attempting to blend in with her cape.

"Well...well" There was a pause while the reaper attempted to formulate a response. "You were the one yelling at him during the match." Deciding to try to direct the attention away from herself, and onto Weiss' earlier outburst during the match. Weiss during the pause had turned to Jaune and offered him a hand in standing up.

While the words she'd used to assist him in keeping his focus weren't something that would normally be considered affectionate, the intent was still there. _Suppose I should thank her_. "I appreciate the advice you gave me, it really helped me keep by bearings." He offered her a small smile with his words in hope that he would get his point across.

His words came in the same moment that he clasped Weiss' hand. The fencer looked away immediately from him, not wanting to acknowledge her inability to keep quiet during her partner's match. She had put all that effort into making sure he would be able to deal with an opponent as simple as Cardin, and he almost threw it away in the face of a simple taunt. "I don't know what you're talking ab-AH," her words were cut short by her of yelp of surprise.

Having forgotten that she had offered her hand in helping Jaune up, she didn't brace against his weight when he grabbed it to pull himself up. Jaune lifted off the ground for a brief moment, before the shift in balance brought the smaller girl down on top of him.

For the second time in as many minutes, Jaune found himself with a girl on top of him. This time, said girl wasn't one who would response with retreat. Chancing a look down at where her head now rest against his chest, he found icy blue eyes looking back at him. Anger wasn't present quite yet, only shock and uncertainty. Before he could apologize and attempt to help her off of himself, a flash went off a few feet away from the group.


	15. Falling Slightly

****2016-12-19: There will be a chapter released this week, but it will probably be later toward Christmas. Due to obligations with finals at school, and now family with Christmas, writing has been difficult.****

 **A/N: I didn't specify this earlier, but the usual 2 week intervals will be the case. Meaning ever second Monday is the expected days for release now, given my school/work schedule. I'll try to release them earlier whenever possible however.**

As an aside, this chapter is a bit shorter than usual, due to being a bit constrained by schoolwork as well as actual work. I'm gonna try to follow it up this weekend to make up for it, if I have the time. Hopefully you all still enjoy it though.

* * *

The entire team's focus was shifted to the source of the flash. Finding a camera, held by an innocent looking bunny-eared girl. "Hi," the girl responded somewhat awkwardly with a wave of her hand. "I was just looking to get pictures of the freshmen teams, and this seemed like a good candid opportunity." Giving a meek smile and tilt of her head for emphasis.

The team overcame their shock after only a moment; however, that moment was enough time for Jaune to slide himself out from underneath the Schnee Heiress. Standing up as quickly as he could, he extended his hand to try to help her up, imitating in some manner as he couldn't make eye contact.

Weiss recovered from her shock to find herself on her hands and knees looking up at Jaune's outstretched hand. Beginning to unpack the events that had transpired, she found that her anger became glossed over, _better not to make a scene_. If she simply took his hand and got up, they could put the whole incident behind them. She placed her hand in his, and found herself being lifted from the ground. _I forgot how strong he is_.

The team re-grouped, finally able to have their triumphant moment of their leader's victory. Weiss turned to where the Faunus from before had been standing, but found that she had disappeared.

Blake brought her attention back to the team by speaking up. "Good job Jaune, you improved greatly since your first fight." The statement was matter of fact, but for Blake to speak up was meaningful in a way. Weiss had recognized early on that the mysterious girl wasn't one for putting her thoughts into spoken word.

Jaune reacted with self-deprecation as one would expect from him. Scratching the back of his head nervously, "Oh, it wasn't that great. I think Cardin may have been going easy on me anyway." He sported a happy smile however, signaling he was clearly very happy with himself.

 _Don't forget who got you to where you are_. While she was happy that he'd made good progress, it was clearly not enough to be a satisfactory partner for her in the future. She didn't want him to feel like he could relax after beating someone at Cardin's level, so, she figured it would be best to bring him back down to Remnant before things went too far with the praise.

"You're lucky he resorted to taunting because he was cocky. Most opponents won't give you that sort of opening." The statement was true, and would do a good job of letting him know that he would need to take his victory with some considerations. However, part of her couldn't help but feel as though she was a bit too harsh with him.

"I know, I've still got a lot of work to do." Jaune looked back to her, offering her what she could only describe as a thankful smile. "Clearly after my showing in that first fight, I've got to keep working at it." Weiss despite herself smiled back at him slightly, his humility surprising her.

The moment was broken by the R of the team, "I still think it's a victory worth celebration cookies." Looking up at Jaune with pleading eyes trained over years of being a younger sibling.

Jaune looked down, unfazed by the assault on his cuteness defenses, _I won't falter against such cuteness_. Despite his want to show dominance against her attempt at swaying him, he couldn't help but feel like it would do his team some good to enjoy a positive turn of events for them. "Sure, let's go get dinner together as a team." Smiling down at the watery eyes below him.

"Yes," Ruby fist pumped her supposed victory, and bolted from the room toward the cafeteria. Leaving the remaining AWB to follow after.

Shaking her head slightly, Blake made her way after her partner. "We'd best hurry, else she'll only eat cookies."

Jaune gave an uncertain look, "I think we can let her enjoy herself a bit." He wasn't sure why it would matter that she ate only snacks, it wasn't like they had a strict diet from the school.

"She'll be hyper enough after your victory, she'll be up all night if she has that much sugar." Blake finished her sentence in passing as she continued out of the room and on her way to the cafeteria, giving a final glance. _Why is she smirking_? Leaving Weiss and Jaune alone in the classroom.

Jaune turned to his partner, "So, should we go?" Looking to his partner, and finding the reason for Blake's mirth. Weiss was looking down, her face blushing somewhat fiercely as if she'd been embarrassed by some turn of events. His own eyes followed her vision and found his hand still clasped with hers from when he'd lifted her from the ground.

"Ah!" The two jumped back in unison, surprised by something they weren't sure.

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice." Jaune quickly went on the defensive, trying to limit the damage that would be caused by yet another blunder of too much physical contact between himself and his partner.

Weiss closed her eyes for a moment and collected her thought. Her face beginning to cool off, _I'm not angry?_ Her own lack of rage surprised even herself, much like the previous incident of her falling on top of him, she felt it simply wasn't that much of a concern to warrant anger. Shaking off the feeling of uncertainty, she decided to again simply nullify the situation.

"It's fine, don't concern yourself over it" Finally bringing herself to look back at Jaune, who himself seemed terrified of the response she was formulating. "Let's catch up with the others, Blake will need help to keep Ruby off of the desserts." She offered him a smile reflexively to try to alleviate his apprehension, it worked and he seemed to relax.

Jaune wasn't quite sure how to react to the change in his partner, but deciding it was better not to question things too much. He fell into step behind her, "Hopefully she'll at least leave enough behind for the rest of us."

Weiss cocked her head back slightly to respond to his comment. "Neither of us will be eating any," withdrawing her scroll, and opening a file labeled 'training regime'. "If you'll notice here, below your schedule, it lists an acceptable dietary selection."

Jaune looked at her wide-eyed, not realizing the extent to which she had planned out every detail of what he would need to do to catch up to his peers in both physical ability and experience. His fears were abated by a small giggle from the girl before him, the sound shook the defenses against a cuteness assault Ruby had tested earlier before bringing his attention to what she had to say next.

"I suppose this time we can make an exception, since you did win your match." Placing a hand over her mouth, to conceal her mirth at his expense. The relaxed sigh that came from her team leader made it difficult for her to contain laughter. "You should probably hurry though, Ruby eating all of them is a very real concern."

Jaune nodded vehemently, before breaking into a run out of the classroom and toward the cafeteria. Weiss stood looking at where he'd left her vision with a relaxed smile on her face for a few moments. Before being shaken from her reverie, _what am I doing_. She began to make her way after the rest of her team, trying to put her confusing feeling behind herself.

* * *

Crimson, Burgundy. Scarlet, Maroon, Ruby.

Jaune's mind quickly ran out of word to describe the endlessly varied shades of red he was surrounded by. With every shift of the wind, the encroaching hues morphed and mixed in every part of his vision; in contrast, pillars of a charcoal stood holding the dueling layers of red above and below. This was Forever Fall, the forest they had set out to for their first class in the field.

They were led there by Professor Goodwitch as part of an early semester field trip, a chance to get away from the usual environment of the campus. She had explained to them what they needed to do, and sent the teams into the forest with warnings of the usual prowling Grimm being present.

The class had been set about on collecting sap from the aforementioned red trees for one Professor Peach, a teacher that none of the first years had ever come in contact with prior. All the same, each student was given a large mason jar to place the sap in for transport back to Beacon.

Team AWBR did their part and made their way into the forest to do some exploring to find a safe location to complete their assigned task. The team eventually happened upon a small clearing, just a simple break in the trees.

"This looks like a good spot to set up." Jaune looked back at the rest of his team, each of the girls acknowledging him in their own way, two slight nods and a comical salute. Setting down the bag he had been carrying, Jaune began to uncover its contents. Handing each member of the group their jar.

Blake taking hers with a simple nod, remaining mostly quiet. Jaune noted that she seemed more focused on their surroundings than anything happening with the group.

Ruby accepted her jar in both hands, the size of it contrasting her somewhat delicate looking features. _I still don't understand how she manages to heft that gun around_. "Mind if I do some more looking around?" During the walk to the clearing, Ruby had seemed to quite enjoy the colourful surrounding. Jaune found it fitting given the complimenting colour scheme.

Jaune gave her a nod, "I'm sure you can handle yourself, but try to stick within earshot." While he wasn't worried about Ruby's ability to take care of herself, he still felt it better not to split the group up too much.

Weiss cut in however, "This trip isn't for sightseeing, we're here with a job to do." Jaune could understand her mindset, given the dangerous environment and Goodwitch being present. However, given they didn't have any more trips planned for the remainder of the semester, he figured it'd be better to let the more adventurous element of the group do some exploring.

Ruby's head dipped momentarily, _I'm gonna regret this_. Jaune took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he said his next words. "Go ahead and look around, it's an order then."

Silver eyes locked with his for a moment, before being followed by a girlish squeal and rose petals fluttering. Shaking his head slowly, he looked to the girl's partner for support.

"I'll keep an eye on her, I wanted to stretch my legs a bit more anyway." Blake deciding to speak up and side with her team's leader. Jaune noted that Blake usually preferred keeping an eye on Ruby in situations like this, he figured it was likely due to her want for solitude. Ruby wasn't likely to even notice Blake's presence, and that would be tantamount to being alone with the B of the team.

This left Jaune and his partner to go about their own sap collection in the clearing. He figured his pulling rank with Weiss would come back to bite him sooner rather than later; however, indulging Ruby this time seemed worth it.

Despite the color shift from the usual forest, he found it was ultimately nothing particularly different. At his feet was mostly the same undergrowth, leaves, and rocky terrain he would find in Emerald Forest, albeit more vibrant.

His vision was eventually drawn to his partner. The falling fragments of leaves and overall hues of red washed over her otherwise pale and white form. Her skin seemed a more flushed pink in the new light, causing the task of drawing sap to seem more exerting than it really was. The pale blue of her outfit was overpowered by the deep shades of the environment, adding to the red lining of the inside of her dress. He found himself again admiring the canvas-like quality of her form, taking on elements of the world around them, in contrast to her somewhat rigid personality.

Finding himself in his second month at Beacon, Jaune had spent a significant amount of time with his partner. The two had their classes together, and thus ended up working on the same assignments much of the time. Following his win over Cardin in their sparring match, Weiss had seen fit to maintain a firm hold over his work-out and study schedule.

While he wasn't really in a position to complain, he couldn't help but feel as though the girl was placing a bit more effort into getting him caught up than would make sense. As a result, he was maintaining good grades in most of his study related classes, and he'd felt himself bulking up from the constant stream of physical labour and combat.

Their sparring however, had taken a turn for the worse in his favour following his victory, as Weiss seemed to feel it was no longer necessary to hold back against him.

* * *

Jaune found himself airborne, a cold wind blowing against his face as shards of ice glinted in the light around him. His body quickly changing directions and plummeting back to the ground with a loud and unceremonious thud.

He let out an exhausted groan, making to lift himself off of the floor for what he felt was many times beyond what the scoreboard above would have him believe. _25-2, there's the scores I was expecting_. Managing to get his feet under him again, he looked across at his opponent, the heiress standing completely still, awaiting the moment they would clash again.

Jaune had managed to find an opening wherever possible, to land a hit on her, outwitting the onslaught of ice block, wall glyphs, and speed barring on untraceable. However, it was extremely clear that he didn't stand a chance against her at full speed.

Weiss had decided that it was time to remove the handicap and begin to use her semblance in their sparring matches. This changed their fights from an unyielding stalemate, to a one-sided bashing. Her ability to make use of her glyphs to out-maneuver, and overpower him was astounding. He just didn't feel her had the tools to overcome the difference in fighting ability to between them.

They clashed again, an eerie hum in his ears as she encircled him and struck at his back. He moved to block the strike with his shield, deflecting the blow. Bringing his sword around as well in an attempt to connect before she could recover, he found his arm locked in a block of ice briefly, before another strike connected with his side, bringing him to his knees.

Weiss stood over him, her chest rising and falling with strained breaths. It was clear the fighting was taking its toll on her stamina. "That will be all for now. You need to get faster at anticipating where my glyphs are going to be." Her words were broken somewhat by heavy breathing, leaving Jaune somewhat concerned about his partner.

Jaune felt his arm release from the ice, and he stood slowly. Looking at the girl before him, he could see her skin flushed from exertion, the fighting having caught up with her. _Using a semblance sure seems hard on the body_.

She nodded to him, before making her way to the girls changerooms. Jaune looked down at his scroll for the time, but caught a glance of the aura levels of his team. Weiss was down to 40%, well within the yellow, while he was still sitting at 75%. _How can that be?_ He knew that using glyphs was hard on her, but he wasn't sure why there would be such a discrepancy, between the two of them, when he was the one taking all the hits.

Aura was still a concept that he didn't truly grasp, and his classes didn't seem inclined to explain it's more complex working to him for the time being. Jaune resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn't be able to come to terms with the effects of having a semblance until he had one of his own. He set out for his own changing room.

* * *

Jaune had taken a moment to look over his surroundings and enjoy the beauty of nature. Partly because he wasn't extremely interested in sap collection, and partly due to him feeling a coming allergic reaction to contact with the substance. He didn't want to embarrass himself any more than necessary, so, he was taking his time to be careful not to spill any on his skin directly.

His partner however didn't appreciate his slacking, after allowing the rest of their team to procrastinate already. Weiss again looked over to her partner to find him looking about, and not set about collecting his portion of sap required for the trip. "This isn't a picnic, we're here to complete the assignment." The two of them having separated somewhat from the group, she didn't feel the need to speak with too much civility.

Jaune's head snapped to face her, the shades of the forest making his face look more red than usual. _Or perhaps he's embarrassed_. "Sorry Weiss, just taking in the wonders of nature, right?" His attempt at concealing his slacking was poor at best; however, he began drawing more sap from the tree causing Weiss to relent.

Filling the jars didn't take long, giving Weiss time to take after her partner and look around at the forest to some extent. While she didn't fancy herself one to get caught up in day dreaming, she couldn't help but enjoy being away from the school for a time, and taking in such a strikingly colourful environment. Her home generally favoured a blander white motif to go with the usually cold and snow-filled surroundings.

She was broken from her musings by the sound of wheezing in the direction of her partner. Looking to Jaune, she found him leaning against a nearby tree, his face more obviously flushed than before. "What happened?" She drew Myrtenaster, preparing for a fight against whatever had injured him.

Jaune could feel his throat swelling up somewhat, not enough to be dangerous just yet, but he still couldn't stand to be handling the sap any longer. Sniffling loudly, he did his best to hold in a powerful sneeze that was welling up in his sinuses. "I think I'm allergic to this stuff." Deciding there was no hiding it any longer.

Weiss, who had been scanning the tree-line for threats, holstered her weapon and looked down at her incapacitated partner. "What?" She knelt down giving his face a closer look. She noted the now obvious swelling before her mind processed what had been said. Letting out an annoyed sigh.

She cut off his taxed attempt at a reply. "I'll go get the Professor and let her know that you need help. The others should be close by, so use your scroll if you anything comes your way." She didn't know the extent his reaction would progress, and her lack of medical training left her with little option but to leave him behind. There hadn't been any signs of Grimm all day, so, she deemed it an acceptable risk.

Jaune strained to nod for her, placing his scroll in his hand and presenting it feebly to show his understanding. He saw her stand, and heard her footfalls as she ran back toward their meeting location.

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 **Review Responses:**

 **Eternal Wanderer:** Thanks for the compliments and the criticism. I do try to keep focus on one of the two main characters in blocks that way it isn't too confusing, though sometimes a scene calls for a break in that rule, I'm glad I'm doing well enough to keep it from being too confusing. As for the early chapters being identical in most ways to the scenes from the series, that was really my intention. I know it's a bit confusing, but I'm writing this from idea that small shifts naturally result in a drastically different outcome, so, thematically I feel the need to include the beginning in the way I do. I realize it's a bit polarizing of a choice however.

 **theycallmebeanz:** I'm glad it feels like Jaune has improved somewhat, but not too much. I intend to keep it in context that Jaune isn't really the strongest fighter, especially in a duel setting. At the same time, I wanted it to feel like Jaune managed to win, but there was some luck involved that didn't make it completely his skill just yet that can carry him.

 **dracohalo117:** No need to apologize for taking time to read the chapter ^_^. I'm glad you read it at all, as well as aren't angry for me taking so long to update as it is. I'll keep at it though.


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